We Just Took Another Look at Archie’s Birth Certificate & Meghan Markle Was (Is?) Totally a Princess

Published Apr 6, 2020

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1:31pm

Additional reporting by

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have officially stepped back from their roles as senior members of the royal family. And while we know they’re able to keep their official royal titles (but not go by His or Her Royal Highness or use the word royal), there’s one interesting tidbit from their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’s birth certificate that has us…curious.

Archie’s birth certificate was revealed a week and a half after his May 6, 2019, birth. It confirmed that the now 38-year-old Markle delivered him at the swanky Portland Hospital in London and also revealed a surprising job title for her that we weren’t expecting: Princess.

meghan harry baby sussex close up archie2

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As the birth certificate details, Markle was taken to The Portland in London, a private maternity-only hospital near Regent's Park. She gave birth to a healthy royal baby boy at 5:26 a.m. on May 6.

The private women's-only hospital, which reportedly costs upward of £15,000 (nearly $20,000) for a delivery, is the same place where both Princess Beatrice and Eugenie were born.

The duchess is listed with her full name as Rachel Meghan Markle on the birth certificate, with the title of Princess of the United Kingdom. The document also included Archie’s full name.

The Princess moniker is interesting, given that Markle was only ever referred to as a duchess (or baroness or countess while in different countries). However, as The Mirror points out, “while she was given the title the Duchess of Sussex by the queen on her wedding day, she is also technically a princess, just not in her own name. She is Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales through her husband, Harry.”

The same technically goes for her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, whose children’s birth certificates also list her as a princess—even though she’s officially referred to as the Duchess of Cambridge.

So, is Markle still Princess Rachel? We guess…?

Roberta Fiorito

Director, Branded Content + Cohost, Royally Obsessed Podcast

As Director of Branded Content at Gallery Media Group, Roberta helps oversee the ideation and execution of sponsored content and experiential campaigns across PureWow and ONE37pm, including PureWow’s 24 in ’24. She began her career in editorial nine years ago, and has written and edited countless articles on news, trends, fashion, beauty and the royal family. She’s also cohost of the Royally Obsessed podcast, named one of the best royals podcasts by The New York Times and Town & Country. She cowrote the book Royal Trivia: Your Guide to the Modern British Royal Family.

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Lex Goodman

Cat mom, yogi, brunch enthusiast

Lex is an LA native who's deeply obsessed with picnics, Slim Aarons, rosé, Hollywood history and Joan Didion. She joined PureWow in early 2017.

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