Archie would be a 'private citizen': Meghan's shocking statement resurfaces

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated their son Archie's seventh birthday on Wednesday, May 6, by sharing a previously unseen photo of father-son bonding.

The Sussexes used the occasion to let the world know about his new life with his sibling and their parents.

He was born at London's private Portland Hospital rather than the traditional Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital.

Shortly after her first child's birth, the Duchess announced that Archie would be a 'private citizen' without a title as they did not want the youngster to be bound by convention or history.

The couple were insistent that they wanted their son to be known as plain 'Mister Archie' and not bear the title of royal, which was done to help preserve his privacy.

When the new parents made the unprecedented decision to give up their royal roles in 2020, it was unknown what the future would look like for their son, who at that time did not hold a title.

At the time, Omid Scobie, Harry and Meghan's biographer claimed that this decision was 'all part' of their desire to give their son 'as normal a life as possible'.

Archie and Lilibet were not 'prince' and 'princess' at birth because they were not grandchildren of the monarch at the time.

However, they gained the right to these titles when their grandpa became the King in 2022.

The Sussexes are understood to be keen to not deny their children their birthright, but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when they are older whether to drop or keep using their titles.

The British monarc, 77, however, is said to be keen to rebuild his relationship with his estranged son's  two young children based in California, despite Harry and Meghan's estrangement from the Firm.

In 2024, royal commentator Michael Cole told the Daily Mail that Charles feels the 'lack of closeness with his California grandchildren acutely', given his own childhood was affected by his parents' long absences on extensive tours of the Commonwealth.

The former BBC royal correspondent said the King "looks as happy and as content as I have ever seen him' but his 'only regret is that he does not see Archie and Lilibet."

Meghan and Harry left the UK for Montecito with Archie, who was less than a year old at the time, and their daughter Lilibet was born in 2021.

Painfully aware that time is precious, the King reportedly regrets that he cannot be closer to his grandchildren.

According to royal biographer Omid Scobie, it was actually Archie that gave the Duke and Duchess of Sussex the courage to leave the royal family in the first place.

Meghan and Harry have worked hard to keep their children out of the spotlight by carefully controlling their public image.

While Lilibet was born in the US after the Sussexes had stepped down, Archie began his life in May 2019 while his parents were working royals.