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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Almost Gave Son Archie a Different Name

Meghan Markle Prince Harry Almost Gave Son Archie Different Name
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with their son Archie in Cape Town, South Africa on September 25, 2019. Henk Kruger/AP/Shutterstock

What could have been! Meghan Markle and Prince Harry nearly chose a different name for their 2-year-old son, Archie.

Related: Everything Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Have Said About Raising Archie

The Suits alum, 40, spoke to an Invictus Games competitor named Sherry McBain and her wife, Mandy, on Monday, April 18, about her toddler’s moniker.

“She was like ‘Harrison, that’s Archie’s middle name,’ and Mandy was like ‘Yeah, I know,’” McBain said of the Los Angeles native. “They were just having a chat because Harry and Meghan couldn’t decide between Archie and Harrison for the first name.”

Related: Inside Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Parenting Style Raising Son Archie

The former actress gave birth to her and the 37-year-old England native’s baby boy in May 2019, revealing his full name — Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor — two days later. The pair went on to welcome daughter Lilibet, now 10 months, in June 2021.

Meghan and the former military pilot have been in England since last week. The duo have visited Queen Elizabeth II and supported Invictus Games athletes during their travels.

In February, Harry revealed that he “does not feel safe” bringing his two children to his native country. The couple stepped back from their royal duties in January 2020, making their exit permanent in February of the following year. The California residents privately pay for their police protection in the United States.

The duke applied for a judicial review of his family’ security arrangements in the U.K. in September 2021. When a Home Office decision ruled he couldn’t personally fund protection while visiting in January, he issued a statement.

“Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats,” the statement read. “While his role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family. … In absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return home.”

Related: The Royal Family: Get to Know the Next Generation

As for how much their security would cost, royal expert Richard Aitch exclusively told Us Weekly that same month that a total is “difficult” to estimate.

“The cost for a personal protection officer from the [Metropolitan Police] has been estimated to be around £100,000 a year,” the Mobius International Security director of operations explained at the time. “What may appear as a wish on paper is far more in reality, and the costs can certainly be quite huge.”

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