London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 31, 2026

Meghan Markle denies she asked to change her name on Archie’s birth certificate

Meghan Markle denies she asked to change her name on Archie’s birth certificate

Meghan Markle has denied reports that she requested her first names be erased from her son’s birth certificate and replaced with just her royal title.

The couple were said to have taken ‘Rachel Meghan’ off their first child’s official papers and instead left ‘Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex’ listed as Archie’s mother, The Sun reported.

The Duke of Sussex also changed his name on June 5, 2019, but he kept his forenames and added ‘Prince’ to his title.

When Archie was registered on May 17, 2019, his dad was listed as ‘His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex’ but it was later changed to ‘His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex’.

But the name changes were not requested by Meghan or Harry and instead ordered by Buckingham Palace, said a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex following the reports.

The spokesperson told The Independent: ‘The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials.

‘This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex.’

Royal writer Ingrid Seward had told The Sun the ‘unprecedented move’ could be a ‘sign they were desperate to do something different to the Cambridges’.

The duchess’ spokesperson said the paper’s claim of a ‘snub’ or to suggest that Meghan ‘would oddly want to be nameless on her child’s birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive’.

Kate Middleton made headlines in 2018 for keeping her first names before her royal title on her third child’s birth certificate.


Archie’s old birth certificate (pictured) listed his mother’s forenames


William is listed as ‘His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge’ and little Louis is officially named ‘His Royal Highness Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge’.

But Kate has referred to herself as ‘Catherine Elizabeth Her Royal Highness Duchess of Cambridge’.

The Sussexes’ decision could also be seen as Harry looking at his wife in the same light as his mum Diana who always referred to herself as ‘Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales’.

Lady Colin Campbell, an author who has written four books about the royal family, noticed the amendment.

She had said: ‘It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking.’

Archie was born on May 6, 2019, and his parents stepped back as senior royals in ‘Megxit’ on January 9, 2020.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Charities Allege French Police Used Tear Gas Against Channel Migrants
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Iran-Linked Murder Plot in Britain
Christian Organisations File Charity Complaints Against Amnesty International UK
Ofgem Tightens Grid Connection Rules for New Data Centres
FTSE 100 Reaches Record High Despite Global Technology Sell-Off
Millions of UK Households Urged to Check Eligibility for Winter Energy Discount
Labour Restores Parliamentary Whips to Diane Abbott and Joani Reid
UK Supreme Court to Hear Challenge Over Palestine Action Ban
UK Commits More Than £8.4 Billion to Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Programme
England Declares Severe Drought as Wildfire Burns Near Sizewell Nuclear Site
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Risks
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
UK Business Confidence Climbs to Four-Month High
Greater Manchester Gains Expanded Powers Under Regional Funding Reforms
UK Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Over Palestine Action Terror Ban
Shell's Quarterly Profit Doubles to Nearly $10 Billion on Higher Energy Prices
UK Government Removes VAT From Household Electricity Bills
Exceptional Drought Grips Half of England as Wildfire Threatens Sizewell
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Risks Persist
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
UK Employment Holds Steady as Wage Growth Remains Moderate
England to Introduce Artificial Intelligence into Secondary School Curriculum
Wales Launches £1.2 Billion Industrial Regeneration Programme
High Court Upholds UK Digital Surveillance Framework
Northern Ireland Reaches Budget Agreement on Infrastructure and Public Sector Pay
Home Office Expands Digital Border Checks Nationwide
UK Approves Major North Sea Wind and Carbon Capture Project
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
Scotland Approves Major Renewable Energy Expansion
UK and United States Sign AI and Semiconductor Cooperation Pact
UK Treasury Tightens Fiscal Controls After Gilt Market Volatility
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 4.5%
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Funding Overhaul and Workforce Reform
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Prince Harry Faces Significant Legal Costs After Insurance Shortfall
FirstGroup Sells Rail Software Business to Tracsis for £48 Million
Victoria and Albert Museum Staff Vote for Strike Action
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Contract Killing Plot in Britain
Royal Mail Raises Bulk Mailing Prices by 30%
Immigration Remains Britain's Top Public Concern, Ipsos Survey Finds
Prime Minister Says Social Care Reform Must Precede Assisted Dying Legislation
×