The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to her first child early Monday morning, and over the course of this week, Meghan and Harry have shared a few details about their son with the world. Most notably, they revealed the youngster's name—Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor—on Wednesday, after posing for a photocall in Windsor Castle. The meanings behind little Archie's first and middle names are fairly simple. A royal source reportedly shared with CNN that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose their son's name because they "just liked the name Archie." This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. A royal source explains Meghan and Harry's name choice to @MaxFosterCNN: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex "just liked the name Archie," and Harrison was chosen to mean "son of Harry" https://t.co/F2UE8QsHOI pic.twitter.com/6xpW5QJ2eG — CNN (@CNN) May 8, 2019 And then, Harrison quite literally means son of Harry or Henry. But the baby's surname, Mountbatten-Windsor, requires a bit more explanation. Who gets to use the last name Mountbatten-Windsor? Little Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor makes his public debut. WPA Pool Getty Images According to the royal family's website, when male or unmarried female descendants of Queen Elizabeth need to use a surname (which is what Americans would more often refer to as a last name), Mountbatten-Windsor is available to them. "For the most part, members of the Royal Family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname," reads the site. "But if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor." Given that Archie does not currently have a royal title, the use of Mountbatten-Windsor as a surname makes sense. Archie's first cousins once removed, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, who are the children of Prince Edward, also use Mountbatten-Windsor as their surnames. Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn both use the last name Mountbatten-Windsor. Here they are on the Buckingham Palace balcony with their parents, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Max Mumby/Indigo Getty Images As naming traditions in the United Kingdom are patriarchal, Princess Anne's children, Zara and Peter, used the surname of their father, Mark Phillips, growing up. Following her marriage to Mike Tindall, Zara eventually started to use Tindall as her surname. Peter and his wife and children use the last name Phillips, and Zara's children use the last name Tindall. Similarly, if Princess Eugenie has children with her husband Jack Brooksbank, their surname will almost certainly be Brooksbank, not Mountbatten-Windsor. All that said, some royals choose to use the name of their Dukedom as a surname. For example, Prince George uses the last name Cambridge at school, as his father is the Duke of Cambridge. Little Archie could have used the surname Sussex, but for whatever reason Meghan and Harry opted against that. Growing up Prince William and Prince Harry used the surname Wales, since their father was the Prince of Wales. Why do some people use the surname Windsor, without the Mountbatten? Lord Frederick Windsor (seen here with his mother Princess Michael of Kent) is able to use the surname Windsor because he is a descendant of George V. David M. Benett Getty Images The last name Windsor is available to be used by all male and unmarried female descendants of George V. That explains why Prince Michael of Kent's children Ella and Freddie use the last name Windsor. (Prince Michael is the Queen's first cousin, and a grandson of George V.) "In 1960, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh decided that they would like their own direct descendants to be distinguished from the rest of the Royal Family (without changing the name of the Royal House), as Windsor is the surname used by all the male and unmarried female descendants of George V," reads the royal family's website. The Privy Council then decided that the Queen's direct descendants would use the last name Mountbatten-Windsor, so that's when the split occurred. Where does the name Mountbatten-Windsor come from? Then-Princess Elizabeth poses with her future husband Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten and her sister Princess Margaret in Buckingham Palace in 1947. Keystone-France Getty Images The original name of Windsor dynasty was the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, but following World War I, Queen Elizabeth's grandfather King George V was concerned about anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom. He changed the name to the House of Windsor, after Windsor Castle. In doing so, members of the royal family adopted Windsor as a surname as well. The "Mountbatten" portion of Mountbatten Windsor comes from Prince Philip. Philip was a Prince of Greece and Denmark, but he gave up those titles when he became a naturalized British citizen in 1947, and took the surname Mountbatten, his mother's family name. Phillip was quite close to the Mountbattens growing up, and even lived with them for a period of time. Caroline Hallemann Digital News Director As the digital news director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers everything from the British royal family to the latest episodes of Outlander, Killing Eve, and The Crown. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Hall’s essay, which was more nuanced than its headline, provoked a wide array of responses from trolls as well as sensible people. After all, even unabashed social justice warriors should hesitate before considering a member of the British royal family to be oppressed, just because he has a mixed-race mom. Living while royal most likely will mean more to baby Archie’s identity development than living while black.<doc-sep>The mystery behind the first name of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, continues to spur speculation. The royal couple welcomed their son on Monday and on Wednesday, they debuted him at a photo call and then revealed his name, seen as an unusual choice as it has never been used by the royal family before. They offered no further details about it. In an interview with New Zealand news service Newshub, also released by the U.K.'s Channel 5 on Saturday, a boy named Archie Somerville-Ryan recalled meeting Meghan and Harry while they were touring his native New Zealand in October. "Harry asked all of me and my sisters, 'What's your name?' and then we answered back," he said. "And then he said, 'Archie, I like that name'...He said, 'Come on Meghan, look at these guys, these guys want to give you some roses,' because we had roses from our garden. And then he introduced our names and things to Meghan. And then kind of like nodded, sort of, when they said our names."<doc-sep>
Marie Claire is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially welcomed Baby Sussex this week, announcing yesterday that they had named their baby boy Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor via their new Instagram page, SussexRoyal. But it wasn’t just the little one’s arrival that got people talking, but also the family’s reactions, with everyone from the Queen to Prince William and Kate Middleton announcing that they were ‘delighted’. Doria Ragland was present and the royal family made a statement on her behalf to announce her happiness. But two people who were left to their own devices to comment were Meghan’s father and half sister, Thomas and Samantha Markle, famed for their repeated correspondence with the press despite Meghan’s pleas. ‘I’m delighted to hear that mother and child are doing well,’ Thomas Markle reportedly announced according to The Sun. ‘I am proud that my new grandson is born into the British royal family and I am sure that he will grow up to serve the crown and the people of Britain with grace, dignity, and honour. Thomas’ statement continued: ‘GOD bless the child and I wish him health and happiness, and my congratulations to my lovely daughter Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry, and GOD save the Queen.’ Samantha’s statement, via DailyMailTV however, came after the announcement of Archie’s name – and it’s very long. ‘Well, I love it,’ Samantha announced in a statement. ‘I’m already an aunt and am lucky enough to have Thomas and Tyler as my nephews. I spent a lot of time with them when they were babies and I love them. Family is family. What I think is incredible is that it’s a great moment historically and although the adults have a lot of water under the bridge, I would really like to see everyone reach out. We’ve extended the olive branch and now it is Meghan’s turn.’ She continued: ’We’re all welcoming the baby—Markles, Raglands, Sussexes, Windsors. In terms of the gene pool, we’ve all made a contribution to this wonderful little boy who will probably grow up to be an exceptional man and we’d like to treat this as if we’re all a big family. It would be nice not to react to what we’ve heard in the news but to personally meet him and let him judge us for himself. ‘I want him to know he’s got a big family and he’s part of an amazing historical time and we’re excited for him. We’re excited for Meg and Harry—I am really excited for her. I love her, she’s my baby sister and it doesn’t matter what we’ve all said back and forth but she’s got to do the right thing. I just want to say Meg, you’ve got a world here and family here that’s excited for you. ‘I want Meg to be part of [Thomas Markle’s] life, I want Meg to be able to share this beautiful time with him in whatever way she can. I think it’s important for her too. I hope something sticks with her—that she decided to do the right thing for my dad. Life is short and we’re family. I hope she decides to do the right thing this time.’ Well, that’s that.