Why Archie has a different surname to his cousins
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have announced the name of their son, and it's markedly different from his cousins'.
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has been introduced to key family members and then the world.
The newborn's name was shared in an Instagram post on Meghan and Harry's official social media account on Wednesday following their photo call at Windsor Castle.
While there may be royal titles available to the baby in the future, for now he will simply be known as Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
When Prince Charles becomes King, Archie will be eligible to be a Prince—if that's what Meghan and Harry want and the Queen gives it her blessing.
There was some speculation Archie may use the surname Sussex, like his cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who use the surname Cambridge after their parents' titles—the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge—when needed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning. PA/AAP
Instead, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have chosen Mountbatten-Windsor, in keeping with family tradition—and including a nod to the Duke of Edinburgh.
Mountbatten is Prince Philip's surname, while Windsor was the name adopted by King George V for the Royal House in 1917.
In this bonus episode of The Windsors, host Kerri Elstub talks to 9Honey’s royal columnist Victoria Arbiter and royal authors Juliet Rieden and Katie Nicholl about the arrival of the seventh in line to the throne. (Article continues.)
In 1960, it was declared direct descendents of the Queen and Prince Philip would use the name Mountbatten-Windsor instead to distinguish them from the rest of the Royal Family and reflect Philip's surname.
The surname is not typically used by royals with His/Her Royal Highness titles; this explains why the Cambridge children use Cambridge as a surname when needed.
In the meantime, Master Archie, Lord Archie or the future Prince Archie is resting at home with his parents, in their new home at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
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