Archie Harrison's birth certificate lists Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex as his mother instead of Rachel Meghan.
It is unusual for a mom's name to not be part of their child's birth certificate, but it seems like the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle's name is no longer part of her child's birth certificate. It created quite a stir when a report claimed that she snubbed the royal family by removing her name from the document and replaced it with her title alone.
On Saturday, January 30, The Sun claimed that she took the "unprecedented action of removing" her first and middle names, Rachel Meghan, from the document. Instead, it just mentions her title as "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex," under the "mother" category. Archie's birth was registered on May 17, 2019, after his birth on May 6. On June 6, the change was made.
A spokesperson for Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex disputed the report, according to E! News.
Archie Harrison's birth certificate does indeed say "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex" but not because she asked for it. "The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials," the spokesperson said in a statement to E! News. "This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex."
Initially, it was thought to be a nod to Princess Diana, with her preferred name, "Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales," according to Daily Mail. Meghan also said that it was "offensive" to suggest she wanted to be "nameless" on her child's birth certificate. With this, the relation between Meghan and her husband's family seems to be sinking further.
Through her spokesperson, she said, "To see this UK tabloid and their carnival of so-called 'experts' chose to deceptively whip this into a calculated family 'snub' and suggest that she would oddly want to be nameless on her child's birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive."
After the change in the name was revealed, the Queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter was quoted as saying, "Maybe this was an early part of their plan." Lady Colin Campbell, who spotted the amendment, said, "It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking."
Only months after the change in the name in the document, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left the royal family for warmer shores. The rift between her and the royal family has been fanned by the tabloids. They had revealed that it was "unlikely" she would accompany Harry when he returns to the UK in early summer.
Harry, who is the sixth in line to the throne, is likely going to travel to see his family since the couple's last royal family engagement. However, others have said that their travel plans are yet to be finalized since it depends on the pandemic and travel restrictions.
"It should be strongly stressed that there is still an element of uncertainty about this because of the unpredictable Covid situation, but the understanding is the duke is more than likely to come back on his own. This is a personal and practical decision by the couple, but it would certainly help officials navigate what is likely to be a fairly tricky situation," a source told the Daily Mail.
Another source added that the Queen told the couple before they left the UK that they are still "much-loved members of her own family" and they could attend any of the family events. "Practically, however, it comes with the need for a certain amount of diplomacy. There is still a great deal of distance between Harry and many family members, particularly his brother. No one wants a repeat of the Commonwealth Service," they added.
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