Royal fans were shocked earlier this week whenMeghan MarkleandPrince Harryrevealed that their newborn son’s name would beArchie— but it appears they dropped a hint about the name long before little Archie’s arrival.
Back in October, Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37,took a trip to New Zealandwhere they met and engaged with hundreds of locals, many of whom eagerly waited near each of the royal couple’s outings to catch a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
It turns out that one of those people was a little boy named Archie Somerville-Ryan, who may have been the inspiration behind the newborn’s name.
Speaking to Channel 5 News in the U.K., Somerville-Ryan opened up about his special encounter with the royal couple in Auckland and how after he introduced himself, Harry admitted that he was a fan of his name.
“Harry asked me and my sisters, ‘What’s your name?’ and then we answered back, ‘Scarlet, Beth, and Archie,'” the little boyrecently recalled to the outlet. “And then he said, ‘Archie, I like that name.'”
The prince was so impressed that he called over his wife to meet Archie and his sisters.
“And he said, ‘Oh, come on, Meghan, these guys want to give you some roses,’ because we had roses from our garden,” he continued. “He introduced our names to Meghan and they kind of, nodded, sort of, when they said our names.”
After meeting the royal couple, Somerville-Ryan said he and his mother briefly considered whether Meghan and Harry would name their child after him.
All three of them were in for a shock this past week when Meghan and Harry revealed they had chosen Archie as their son’s name, after all.
“I woke up and I was like, ‘What’s all the clatter about?’ and then my mom said, ‘Guess what, Arch? Meghan and Harry’s son is called Archie!’ and I’m like, ‘What, really?!'” the little boy shared.
Press Association via AP
Prince WilliamandKate Middleton‘s 5-year-oldPrince Georgealso may have been in on the mysterious name, dating back to January, after hetold a womanwho he met while she was walking her dog that he was called Archie.
“I asked George what his name was, even though I obviously knew it,” the woman recalled toThe Sun. “To my astonishment, he said,‘I’m called Archie’with a big smile on his face.”
“I don’t know why he calls himself Archie, but kids often play with their names and I think it’s lovely,” the woman said.
Regardless of who knew and why, the name was certainly a surprising one, as Britishoddsmakers’ top picks for potential namesincluded more traditional monikers, like Arthur, James, Philip and Albert. In fact, bookies revealed just 60 bets were placed on Archie at 100/1, amounting to exactly $130.
Archie, of course, is a shortened version of the name Archibald, meaning genuine and bold or brave. Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll of Scotland was also anancestor of Princess Diana’s.
The surname Mountbatten-Windsor, meanwhile, belongs to all the children and descendants ofQueen ElizabethandPrince Philip.
The newborn Archie was born Monday, andmade his public debut Wednesdaywith his proud parents at St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle.
“It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing,” Meghan said of being a first-time mom. “I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”
A source told PEOPLE that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex haveopted not to give their son a “courtesy title”at this time, unlike his royal cousins.
Harry and Meghan were named the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day, and it is traditional for the eldest son of a duke to eventually inherit his father’s title. Down the line, Archie could be given the secondary Sussex title, before inheriting the dukedom.
source: people.com
