Meghan Markle quietly changes her name on Archie's birth certificate in 'nod to Princess Diana'

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BELFAST, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 23: Meghan Markle is seen ahead of her visit with Prince Harry to the iconic Titanic Belfast during their trip to Northern Ireland on March 23, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
Meghan Markle has erased her first names from Archie's birth certificate
(Image credit: (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images))

Meghan Markle has secretly removed her first names from Archie's birth certificate, in what is being described as a "nod to Princess Diana".

When Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born in May 2019, details of his birth certificate were revealed - which showed Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex using her full name to register the birth of her first son. 

But now it has emerged that just one month later, in June, the couple removed Meghan's first names from the birth certificate - leaving just Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.

While it's unclear why such changes were made, royal onlookers have branded the move - which happened just months before the couple stepped down as senior royals - as "remarkable".

Meghan Markle with Prince Harry and Archie

Meghan Markle changed the name on Archie's birth certificate 

(Image credit: Getty)

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Royal expert, Ingrid Seward, told The Sun, "For a royal to change a birth certificate is unprecedented but to remove forenames is remarkable.

“Perhaps this is another sign they were desperate to do something different to the Cambridges.”

The move could be in honour of Prince Harry's late mother, Princess Diana - who  historically always went by HRH The Princess of Wales, rather than her birth name.

The news comes just days after it was revealed that Meghan will "likely" stay at home when Prince Harry returns to the UK this summer. 

Despite stepping back as senior royals last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expected to attend several key events in the royal calendar - including the Duke of Edinburgh's 100th birthday celebration and the Trooping of the Colour in June.

In July, a statue created in honour of Prince Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, will be unveiled in the Sunken Gardens in Buckingham Palace.

While both events are incredibly close to Prince Harry's heart, it is thought the reunion of the Fab Four could deter from the significance and cause a media furore. Hence Meghan's decision to stay home. 

An insider revealed, "Harry wants to come back for The Queen and Prince Philip's big birthdays. But it looks likely it will be just him.

"If Meghan comes back, the feeling is that it would overshadow the occasion. People would only be looking at the 'drama' of it all."

Georgia Farquharson

Georgia writes across Woman & Home and Good to Know and specialises in all things royal. Previously labelled the "Queen of the royals," Georgia knows the whose who and what's what when it comes to the monarchy. When she's not eagerly following the royal family, Georgia enjoys shopping and self-care. She lives with this motto in mind; "if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough."