London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 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
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×