Five things we learned from Archie's birth certificate

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor's birth certificate Image copyright PA

Until today, we knew very little about the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's newborn son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.


Here are five things we learned from it.

1. Archie was not born at home

Image copyright PA

Despite earlier speculation that Meghan had given birth at the couple's home in Windsor, we now know for definite that the birth happened at the private Portland Hospital in Westminster, where the cost of a basic birth begins at £6,100.

Meghan isn't the only royal who has given birth at Britain's only fully private maternity hospital.

Sarah, Duchess of York, gave birth to Prince Harry's cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at the hospital in Great Portland Street, central London.

2. The Duchess of Sussex is listed as Princess of the United Kingdom...

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... as in that's her occupation.

You might know Meghan as the Duchess of Sussex, but following her May 2018 marriage she did also technically become a princess.

Meghan is not the first royal to list her occupation as princess - Catherine did the same on her children's birth certificates.

3. Prince Harry took a total of 11 days to register Archie's birth

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Which is "pretty normal", according to Alicja Gilroy, who works as a superintendent registrar, although in Oxford, so is not likely to register a royal birth herself.

She adds that, from her own experiences, most people manage to register their baby's birth within the official 42-day deadline.

However, not everyone is as organised.

Sometimes people register their children's births just "at the edge" of the 42 days because they can't agree on a name, she adds.

4. Harry signed the birth certificate

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The prince registered the birth of his son but Meghan may well have been present as well. When a couple is married, only one parent is required on the register.

Ms Gilroy says that sometimes, when dads come on their own, "they're more likely to make mistakes, perhaps because they're not aware of all the information required".

She added that they don't always know when they got married and "don't want to ring their wives up admitting it".

There appear to be no such issues for Prince Harry.

But sadly we don't get to see how the new (possibly sleep-deprived) dad forms the "H" in his signature. The copy of the birth certificate issued for public consumption is a typed-up version of the original.

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5. No special treatment for Archie and his dad

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Despite being royal, the birth certificate wasn't signed by one of the most senior employees at Westminster Register Office.

Just like with "normal people" it was handled by whoever was available and on duty - which in this case was a deputy registrar called Dexsha Mevada.

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