The Queen usually approves royal baby names - but did she officially agree to Archie Harrison?

harry meghan archie

In the past, the Queen has approved or disapproved of royal baby names. When Princess Beatrice was born in 1988, her name wasn't announced for two weeks as the Queen wasn't keen on Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's first choice, Annabel, The Sun reported at the time. Apparently, she thought it too 'yuppie' and they eventually settled on Beatrice, which was Queen Victoria's youngest daughter's name.

Most royals announce their little one's name around two days after their birth. Kate Middleton and Prince William revealed Prince George and Princess Charlotte's monikers 48 hours after appearing on the Lindo Wing steps, although Prince Louis' name was announced four days after he was born.

But did the monarch follow suit when it came to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's first child, baby Archie Harrison?

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Considering his name was also announced within the usual two-day window, it would appear that the Queen signed off on his unique - and untraditional - royal name.

Archie means 'genuine', 'bold' or 'brave', and Harrison is a pretty self-explanatory - 'Harry's son'. It was considered to be a bit of a curveball as many thought he might have been called Alexander.

But Meghan and Harry have always done things differently, deciding to keep Archie's christening private and releasing the first pictures of him on Instagram.

So it makes sense that they would buck the trend and go for something a little more unusual when naming him, too.

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.