A new royal baby: Here comes Archie. The other one
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may just have signed up their first born for a lifetime of teasing with the name 'Archie'!
Ever since their royal wedding in May last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, aka Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have seldom followed the handbook of royal protocol.
Markle’s relatively minimalistic wedding dress onwards to the couple starting their own Instagram page and moving out of London to begin their domestic bliss in Berkshire, the duo have together initiated many royal firsts. Their decision to not share the photograph of their firstborn by forgoing the four-decade-old customary hospital photo op, unlike Prince William and Kate Middleton, was another such instance.
So, when their firstborn — Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor — was formally introduced to the public on Instagram, the Internet was quick to speculate that the Duke and Duchess are fans of television drama Riverdale. The hit show is based on the characters of Archie Comics that features the redheaded protagonist, Archie Andrews.
What’s in a name? An entire meme
The possibility that the royal baby may just inherit Prince Harry’s ginger hair makes this theory even more plausible. After all, with his mum’s acting stint in television’s hit show Suits, it is safe to assume that baby Archie may just have a flair for the dramatic.
So, it's not surprising that many of us are rooting for a Riverdale 2.0 Royal Edition.
But, turns out that the possible redhead royal Archie is just an uncanny coincidence and not a nod to Riverdale in the least. 'Archie' is actually one of the most common names in the United Kingdom and features in the Top 20 list of commonly kept baby names.
Moreover, his middle name, Harrison, literally translates to Harry’s son and the Mountbatten-Windsor surname is just a nod to Prince Phillip Mountbatten and the royal house of Windsor.
Archie — The commoner
And that’s not all; another rather modern take on Baby Archie’s name is the absence of title as yet. The elder brother of Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton have bestowed royal titles on all of their three children, His Royal Highness for Prince George and Prince Louis, and Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.
So, unlike his cousins, Archie, seventh in line to the throne, is likely to not have royal engagements, duties or patronages in the absence of a title — though he can always stake a claim to his father’s earldom. Though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bid to ensure a normal life for Archie may have no guarantees, one thing is for sure.
Baby Archie may have to battle Archie Andrews references forever and probably, so will his future girlfriends have to deal with those references — Betty and Veronica!