New parents Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have finally revealed their son’s name: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
On Wednesday, hours after they shared the first photos of their newborn with the world, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their son’s name in a post on social media.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” palace officials wrote on Instagram.
“This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle. The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess’ mother were also present for this special occasion.”
Markle, 37, and Prince Harry, 34, withheld their son’s name when they posed for an official photo call on Wednesday around noon local time.
While holding their son at Windsor Castle, the royal couple said they were “thrilled” to be parents and are enjoying the first few days with their son.
WATCH: Royal couple Meghan and Prince Harry revealed their newborn son to the public on Wednesday, with the proud new mother declaring him “a dream”
“It’s magic,” Markle said of becoming a mom. “I have the two best guys in the world so I am really happy.”
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Markle also said her son has “the sweetest temperament.”
“He’s really calm … he’s just been the dream so it’s been a special couple of days,” she said.
WATCH: Prince Harry announces birth of son
Their son is the newest member of the Royal Family and is seventh in line to the throne. He is behind Prince Charles, Prince William, his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and then dad Prince Harry.
People had placed bets on the royal baby’s name since Markle’s pregnancy announcement in October 2018.
READ MORE: Prince or earl? What royal title will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son have?
If the Duke and Duchess had a boy, the top name choice was Albert (12/1), the name of Queen Victoria’s husband.
Philip was also a leading contender (12/1), after the child’s great-grandfather Prince Philip. Historical names Arthur (16/1) and James (16/1) were tied in second place, even though Arthur is already the middle name of cousin Prince Louis.
In third place was Alexander (20/1), which may have been a nod to the Queen’s middle name Alexandra.
While it is still unclear what official title Archie will have, it is largely up to the Queen to determine if he will be a prince or not.
Because of previous rules, only certain members of the Royal Family are automatically entitled to a His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) title. The only way the Queen’s great-grandchildren get HRH titles is if the monarch issues a Letters Patent.
READ MORE: How will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry raise their son?
The Queen issued a Letters Patent in 2012 that gave royal titles to all three of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children. This means that if Markle and Prince Harry’s son was to become a prince, the 93-year-old monarch would need to issue a new Letters Patent.
As of now, his title is likely Earl of Dumbarton, which is inherited from his father.
Laura.Hensley@globalnews.ca
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