Sometimes, royal rules are meant to be broken. In a move being hailed as "unprecedented," Meghan Markle’s name was changed on son Archie’s birth certificate — it doesn't say what it did the day that he was born. Could this have to do with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal exit?
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There could be several reasons why the change was made.
The Sun reported that Meghan's first names, Rachel Meghan, were removed and replaced with "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex." And some believe that the move could have been a "snub" to Prince William and Kate Middleton, because Kate’s names were used on the birth certificates of her three children.
They also claim that it could have been seen as a way to align Meghan with Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, who always used the title "Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales."
Archie, who was born Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on May 6, 2019. His birth was registered days later, on May 17. The name change happened on June 5, almost a month after Archie’s birth.
The couple did not comment directly on the change.
Meghan and Harry didn’t comment directly on the report of the change, but royal reporter Omid Scobie shared a statement from a spokesperson for Meghan via Twitter.
The statement claims that the name change on the birth certificate was "dictated by the Palace" and "not requested by Meghan The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex."
It went on to say that the assumption that Meghan would "want to be nameless on her child’s birth certificate" would be "laughable, were it not offensive."
The change is a questionable one.
The change on the birth certificate was made mere months before Meghan and Harry left royal life, which led to speculation about why it was made.
Dickie Arbiter, the former press secretary for the late Queen Elizabeth told The Sun that this could have been the earliest sign of them setting the plans for their exit into motion.
Meanwhile, Lady Colin Campbell, the person who spotted the change, noted, "It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking."
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Some speculate the change was made so the Sussexes could distance themselves from the other royals.
Royal experts chose to position the move as the couple’s way of distancing themselves from William and Kate.
"For a royal to change a birth certificate is unprecedented but to remove forenames is remarkable," royal expert Ingrid Seward told The Sun.
Lilibet's birth certificate is different as well.
Daughter Lilibet’s birth certificate also uses different names, but that’s because she was born in the United States.
Her birth certificate lists Prince Harry as "the Duke of Sussex, His Royal Highness" while Meghan is listed as Rachel Meghan Markle, TMZ reported.
This difference is because the US requires the mother’s maiden name and the father’s legal name.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
