Archie Harrison Is A U.S. Citizen & 3 Other Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Baby Sussex
The newest member of the royal family, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was revealed to the world on Wednesday. Now, fans of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan the world over are wishing the family well.
In light of the announcement of the newest royal baby, here are three things you may not know about Baby Archie.
He’s A U.S. Citizen
This may come as a bit of a shocker to some, considering that the lad was born in England to an English family. But don’t forget that his mother, Meghan Markle, is an American, having been born in L.A. Meghan still retains her U.S. citizenship, as of this writing.
As the Department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains on its website, a person is considered a citizen of the United States if they are born abroad to an American citizen parent — and Archie fits that bill.
However, as The New York Times notes, there will be paperwork issues if Archie should, for example, ever apply for a U.S. passport or attempt to join the U.S. armed forces. Neither of these two possibilities seems exceedingly likely at this point.
In fact, as a practical matter, Archie’s dual U.S.-U.K. citizenship is essentially a moot point. When the time comes for him to get a passport, he will almost certainly get a diplomatic U.K. passport. And should he follow in his father’s footsteps — and take a career in the armed forces — it will likely be in the British service, not the American one.
He’s The Only British Royal To Have Been Named Archie
For centuries, tradition has dictated that children born into the royal family are given names that have been used in the family before. Archie’s father, Prince Harry, is actually named Henry Charles Albert David. Henry and Charles are former kings, Albert was the prince consort to Queen Victoria, and David appears several times among royal men of the last century — not always as a first name, however.
Never in British history has there been a King Archie, nor are there any prominent Archies in British history, at least as regards the monarchy.
He’ll Almost Certainly Never Be King
Unfortunately, there will almost certainly never be a King Archie. At least, not any time soon.
Archie is seventh in line to the throne, meaning that it would take an almost-inconceivable string of deaths, abdications, or other disasters before Archie’s name might enter contention for the throne. Archie will just have to enjoy being the cousin to the king, as his uncle William’s son, Prince George, will likely be king in a few decades or so.
