Duchess Meghan Didn't Change Her Name On Archie's Birth Certificate

This weekend, reports have been circulating online regarding Archie Mountbatten-Windsor's birth certificate. Specifically, Duchess Meghan's name was changed on the official document, with her forenames, Rachel and Meghan, removed altogether. Now, she is simply referenced as "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex" on the certificate.

While some reports have suggested that Meghan is responsible for changing her name on Archie's birth certificate, a spokesperson for the duchess has set the record straight.

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"The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials," a spokesperson for Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex explained in a statement to BAZAAR.com. "This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex."

The spokesperson continued, "To see this U.K. tabloid and their carnival of so-called ‘experts’ chose to deceptively whip this into a calculated family ‘snub’ and suggest that she would oddly want to be nameless on her child’s birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive. There’s a lot going on in the world; let’s focus on that rather than creating clickbait."

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Before it was updated, Archie's birth certificate was released to the public. Royal commentators noted that Meghan's occupation is listed as "Princess of the United Kingdom" on the document. At the time, Royal Musings founder Marlene Koenig told BAZAAR.com, "Every wife of a prince is a princess regardless of how she is styled."

This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.

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