Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Almost Didn't Name Their Son Archie

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son nearly had a different first name, the Duchess of Sussex revealed during her time at the Invictus Games over the weekend.

Meghan said that she and Harry were torn between two contenders for their firstborn son, whom they welcomed in 2019, while speaking with Sherry McBain, a Team UK competitor at the 2022 Invictus Games.

McBain told the Press Association that the topic came up when Meghan was speaking to McBain’s wife, and discovered that the couple’s child was named Harrison.

“She was like ‘Harrison, that’s Archie’s middle name,’” McBain said, recounting her wife’s conversation with the royal over the weekend. “And Mandy was like ‘Yeah, I know.’”

“They were just having a chat because Harry and Meghan couldn’t decide between Archie and Harrison for the first name,” she added.

The couple ultimately found a compromise for both names, choosing Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor for their son.

Around the time of Archie’s birth, other name predictions included Arthur, Albert, Philip, James, Alexander and Alfred.

Prince Harry spoke about Archie, who is nearly 3, during the opening ceremonies of the Invictus Games on Saturday. The games, which is a Paralympic-style competition for wounded service people and veterans, were founded by the royal in 2014.

“When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot ― a helicopter pilot, obviously. Or Kwazii from ‘Octonauts,’” Harry said, referencing the kids show from BBC’s children’s network. “If you’re laughing, then you’ve seen that.”

“But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it’s your character that matters most,” the duke added. “And nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today: you.”

In addition to Archie, the couple are also parents to Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

The Duke of Sussex spoke about his wishes for both of his children during a rare media interview he granted over the weekend. Harry was interviewed by Sophia, who is 11, and Jay, who is 12, for the Youth News Foundation.

Harry told the two youth correspondents that he wanted his children “to grow up in a better world.”

“To grow up in a fairer world, a safer world, a more equal world,” he added. “It’s not going to be easy, but I will never, ever, ever rest until I ― as a parent ― have at least tried to make the world a better place for them. Because it is our responsibility with the world the way that it is now. We cannot steal your future.”