By: Nick Travis
From his uncommon name, to his unique heritage — Archie Mountbatten-Windsor is breaking the royal mould
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Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on the sixth of May this year, and his name has been on everyone’s lips ever since.
As the first royal baby born to an American mother, as well as being the first mixed-race Windsor, Archie has changed the common perception of the royal family.
The name “Archie” itself has no previous royal connotations, but it’s reported that Meghan and Harry wished to give him a modern name, while “respecting royal tradition.” The double-barrelled name “Mountbatten-Windsor” was created in the 1960’s. The name was made so royal children with a commoner parent could still take royal titles.
‘Over the moon’
The name is a combination of Queen Elizabeth’s “Windsor” surname and the adopted last name of her husband, Prince Philip Mountbatten.
The couple seemed truly ecstatic about their newborn son.
Speaking on Archie’s birth, Prince Harry said, “I haven’t been in many births. This is definitely my first birth. But it was amazing. Absolutely incredible. I’m so incredibly proud of my wife. As every father and parent would ever say, your baby is absolutely amazing. But this little thing is absolutely to die for. So I’m just over the moon.”
Speaking on her life as a new mom, Markle said, “It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”
When asked about her newborn, Markle said, “He has the sweetest temperament. He’s really calm.”
Not long after his birth, the royal couple, along with Markle’s mother Doria Ragland, took their newborn son to meet the Queen and Prince Philip. A photo was taken of the group crowded around the swaddled newborn, with a look of joy painted on the monarch’s face.
‘We wish them the best’
The next people to meet Archie were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Speaking previously to the visit with the press, Middleton said, “It’s really exciting for both of them and we wish them all the best.”
Prince William added he was “absolutely thrilled” over the arrival of his brother’s child and he was, “looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down.”
A couple days later, Archie met his Grandfather Prince Charles, as well as his wife Duchess Camilla. The two had been away on royal business, so they were unable to immediately meet their fourth grandchild. Previously, during a trip to Germany, the Prince of Wales said he “couldn’t be more delighted” about the birth of his grandchild and that he and Camilla were, “looking forward to meeting the baby…”
Since the birth of their child, both Meghan and Harry have been busy with the duties parenting involves. Post birth, Markle has only made one public appearance — which was the unveiling of her newborn to the media in Windsor. Markle’s second public appearance was set for the Queen’s official birthday, which happened on June 8. Prince Harry, on the other hand, has been slightly busier with royal duties taking him away from family life, making appearances at the Oxford Children’s Hospital, the Oxsrad Disability Sports and Leisure Centre as well as visiting The Netherlands to begin the countdown to the Invictus Games next year in The Hague.
While at the Oxford Children’s Hospital, Harry visited Amy Scullard, whose son is in the hospital. During their meeting, the new father couldn’t help but gush about his own son.
“He said he’s getting used to the baby and how Archie has fitted into family life,” said Scullard, “He said he just feels part of the family and he can’t imagine life without his son.”
‘The people’s prince’
Harry had recently re-opened the Oxsrad Disability Sports and Leisure Centre, which his mother Diana had originally opened in 1989. Despite his lack of sleep that day, he still cheerfully greeted the crowds much like his late mother. Such comparisons have lead to royal fans dubbing Harry, “The People’s Prince,” an homage to his mother’s title, “The People’s Princess.”
Despite all the family and friends surrounding the young family, Prince Harry will definitely feel Diana’s absence. The People’s Princess died in a car crash when Prince Harry was only 12 years old, leaving a hole in his family life. Sadly, Archie will never get to meet his late grandmother. A royal household source told People that her absence means “there will be a gap from Harry’s point of view.”
“It’s very sad that poor Diana isn’t here to see her children getting married and now have babies. And it is so sad for him that she isn’t here too,” said a friend of Diana’s, “Life is so precarious.”
Harry, too, has said that an important part of his family life is missing. While visiting the Netherlands, he opened up to former soldier and current Invictus games hopeful, Dennis van der Stroom, who had also lost his mother.
Missing a mother
“I told Harry about my mother and we talked about our shared experience of missing a mom,” van der Stroom said, “He said missing a mother is like missing some kind of security, how you need that as a son and it falls away when you lose your mother. He said he meets a lot of people in his work who have lost a mother, father, sister, brother or relatives and when he hears their story, as he heard my story, he said he doesn’t feel so alone.”
Despite Archie not being able to bond with his late grandmother, he seems to be surrounded by a loving family. He is still but a wee lad, and has a lot of growing to do. Both fans of the Royal Family and the Royal Family itself will be eagerly watching as the young Mountbatten-Windsor grows up.