Did Meghan Markle erase her maiden name from Archie’s birth certificate? Palace ‘dictated’ it, says spokesperson
Why was Meghan Markle’s maiden name removed from hers and Prince Harry’s son Archie’s birth certificate? Reports from Saturday, January 30 suggested she had dropped her name “Rachel Meghan” under the "mother" section, leaving it with just “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex”. The news regarding the change in the title has turned heads, as different sides to the story are surfacing with each passing day.
Archie was born on May 6, 2019, and his birth was registered officially on May 17, 2019. The certificate previously included “Rachel Meghan”, which was reportedly changed on June 6. It was assumed by many that the change in title to “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex” was a tribute to Prince Harry’s late mother Princess Diana who went with the title “Royal Highness the Princess of Wales”. But sources close to the couple say Buckingham palace wanted it that way.
Why was Meghan Markle’s name removed from Archie’s birth certificate?
One of Meghan’s spokespersons has explained in a statement to Harper's Bazaar, "The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials. This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex."
Furthermore, an image of the alleged birth certificate, dated January 21, shared by The Sun shows that Meghan’s name was removed from Archie’s birth certificate in June on the authority of the Registrar General. It also states that Harry's name and title were also changed from "His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex" to "His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex."
They further added, “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. There's a lot going on in the world; let's focus on that rather than creating clickbait."
Experts suggest it was a 'part of their plan'
While the exact reasons behind the changes in Archie’s birth certificate are yet to be known, Queen’s ex-press secretary Dickie Arbiter said, “Maybe this was an early part of their plan”. And, British writer and socialite Colin Campbell, commenting on the amendment noted, “It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking.”
However, neither Meghan nor Harry have issued a statement from their end to prove the reports true. But, tabloid reports have fueled the matter by dubbing the change in the title as a “snub” to Prince William and Kate Middleton, whose formal name “Catherine” is mentioned in all their children’s birth certificates.
In 2020, Meghan and Harry's departure as working members of the royal family took effect and was a much-publicized move. As part of their exit famously dubbed Megxit by the media, the couple agreed to give up their "Royal Highness" titles, just as Diana did when she divorced Harry and William's father, Prince Charles.