Archie Mountbatten-Windsor

Son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, 7th in the line of succession to the British throne, is the first born son of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his American born wife Meghan Markle.

Archie was born at 05:26 a.m. on 6 May 2019. The new arrival follows his father Prince Harry and displaces his great uncle, Andrew Duke of York, to the 8th place in the line of succession, he is also heir apparent to the Dukedom of Sussex.

The birth took place at a hospital as opposed to Meghan's previously preferred Frogmore Cottage home birth. Several landmarks were illuminated in different colours to mark the birth, including the London Eye and Niagara Falls. The eagerly awaited infant was a week overdue and weighed a healthy 7lbs 3oz, somewhat lighter than each of his royal cousins. Prince George weighed 8lb 6oz when he was born in July 2013. Princess Charlotte was 8lbs 3oz when she arrived in May 2015, whereas their younger brother Prince Louis weighed 8lb 7oz at birth.

Archie Mountbatten-WindsorArchie Mountbatten-Windsor

The two names chosen are not the traditional monikers used by the royal family, his first name Archie is a name liked by his parents, it has no precedent in Britain's ruling house, with the exception of Archibald Douglas, the 16th century Earl of Angus who was the husband of Margaret Tudor, the sister of King Henry VIII, Margaret later divorced him. Douglas is an ancestor of Archie, Lady Margaret Douglas, his daughter by Margaret Tudor, herself produced a son, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who married his cousin Mary, Queen of Scots and became the father of James I and VI. The second name Harrison, denotes son of Harry and is self explanatory. The Queen's descendants in the male line or female descendants are entitled to use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, though the royal house remains the House of Windsor.

Archie was introduced to the world at a controlled, closed-door photo shoot at the historic setting of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The proud new parents looked delighted, with a beaming Harry cradling his son fondly and commenting "He's just been the dream so it's been a special couple of days". While she placed a reassuring hand on the Prince's arm, Meghan added: "It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy, " " He has the sweetest temperament, he's really calm." The new arrival was pictured wrapped in a white shawl and wearing a white knitted cap. The Duchess of Sussex wore a stylish white double-breasted dress by Wales Bonner for the occasion.

While the Queen was expected to be the first senior royal to officially meet the newborn, Meghan related how they accidentally bumped into Harry's grandfather, Philip Duke of Edinburgh on the grounds of the castle while making their way to the photocall. Archie's uncle Prince William stated that he was "absolutely thrilled" and was "looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down". He further quipped: " I'm very pleased and glad to welcome my own brother into the sleep deprivation society that is parenting." Prince Charles, then on a state visit to Germany, with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has also spoken publicly for the first time about the birth, stating that he was "delighted" at arrival of his latest grandchild. A statement was also issued relating that Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was "overjoyed at the arrival of her first grandchild" and was with her daughter at Frogmore Cottage, the Sussex' home on the Windsor Estate.

The two day old Archie later made his debut before his paternal great grandparents, the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whom he met at private apartments at Windsor Castle.

Archie with his parents the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Archie Mountbatten-Windsor

Archie descends from British royalty and the aristocratic Spencer family on his father's side and his mother "a bellhop in a Cleveland hotel, a laundry worker in Chattanooga, and a bartender in an Atlanta saloon". He is the first half-American and mixed-race baby in the history of the British monarchy.

There are many surprises in Archie's varied family tree. As well as British kings, they include monarchs of Greece, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Russia, France, Austria, Spain and Germany and include such diverse characters as Charlemagne, King Harold Godwineson, the last Saxon King of England, as well as William the Conqueror, and El Cid. Through his grandmother the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Archie descends from the aristocratic Spencer family, the popular Stuart king Charles II and the Duke of Marlborough, as well as having an Indian genetic link with Eliza Kewark, who was housekeeper to his sixth great grandfather Theodore Forbes (1788-1820), a Scottish merchant who worked for the East India Company in Surat, a port north of Bombay.

On the Duchess of Sussex' side of the family, Doria Ragland is descended from African Americans enslaved in the state of Georgia. The Ragland surname is said to derive from William Ragland, a Methodist, who arrived in the United States in the C18th from the county of Cornwall. Megan's first identifiable African American Ragland ancestor was Richard Ragland, who was born in Georgia, circa 1830. Richard Ragland experienced the abolition of slavery in 1865 and descends from English, German, and Irish immigrants. On her father, lighting director, Thomas Markle's side of her family, Megan's ancestor Heinrich Martin Merckel emigrated to the United States from Lampertsloch, a German-speaking town in France situated near the Franco-German border.

In early 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave up their ryal their roles and ceased to be working members of the royal family. They then moved to Canada, and during the coronavirus, pandemic flew to the USA where they purchased a property in Montecito, California.

The Ancestry of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor

Archie Mountbatten Windsor

Father: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

Paternal Grandfather: CharlesPrince of Wales

Paternal Great-grandfather: Prince PhillipOf Greece and Denmark

Paternal Great-grandmother: Queen Elizabeth II

Paternal Grandmother: Lady Diana Frances Spencer

Paternal Great-grandfather: Edward John, Earl Spencer

Paternal Great-grandmother: Frances Ruth Roche

Mother: Rachel Meghan Markle

Maternal Grandfather: Thomas Wayne Markle

Maternal Great-grandfather: Gordon Arnold Markle

Maternal Great-grandmother: Doris May Rita Sanders

Maternal Grandmother: Doria Loyce Ragland

Maternal Great-grandfather: Alvin Ragland

Maternal Great-grandmother: Jeanette Arnold