11 May 2019 12:10 am
Fans and experts alike praised the couple for shunning more ‘traditional’ monikers in favour of Archie, which means ‘brave’, and is often used as a shortened form of Archibald.
Now friends of the Duchess of Sussex have claimed the former actress took inspiration for the little boy’s first name from a beloved family pet.
A former close friend of Meghan revealed that the ex-Suits actress and her mother Doria Ragland, 62, had shared a cat named Archie, himself named after the Archie comic the Duchess had once collected as a child.
‘Doria rescued Archie and he became an important part of the household. Meghan loved playing with him and she was always talking about him to her friends,’ a friend told The Sun.
‘It’s no surprise she named her new baby Archie. She loved that cat.’
Meghan, 37, is believed to have told friends the cat ended becoming fat after he was constant fed grapes, and the pet is believed to have died while the former actress was away at college at Northwestern University in Chicago.
Doria rescued Archie and he became an important part of the household. Meghan loved playing with him and she was always talking about him to her friends,’ a friend told
Meghan and Harry welcomed Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor on Monday and introduced him to the world at a photocall in Windsor Castle, on Wednesday.
Before meeting with the Queen - the first member of the royal family to see the child since his birth on Monday - the new parents shared sweet details about their new addition.
Meghan said: ‘He has the sweetest temperament, he’s really calm.’
To which a cheeky Harry replied: ‘I don’t know who he gets that from,’ before sharing a knowing smirk with his wife.
Archie is the seventh in line to the throne behind his older cousins Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one.
Ahead of the newborn royal is his grandfather Prince Charles, followed by his uncle Prince William and his father Prince Harry.
Archie is the shortened version of Archibald, a traditionally Scottish name which is said to mean ‘true, bold and brave’.
Unlike many senior royals, Archie only has one middle name - Harrison - which is of Aboriginal origin and, in a fitting tribute to the baby’s father, means ‘son of Henry’ or ‘son of Harry’.
Many in Britain had expected a more traditional royal name, as bookies favoured James, Arthur, and Edward, with Archie sitting at around 100/1.
The baby shares his moniker with one of Princess Diana’s ancestors, Archibald Campbell, who was the 9th Earl of Argyll, from Scotland.