Archie Mountbatten-Windsor turns one: 14 pictures of Prince Harry and Meghan's son
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor turns one on Wednesday, marking his first birthday in lockdown in Los Angeles.
The youngest member of the Royal Family is the first son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved to her native California shortly before they formally stepped back from their roles as senior royals.
Archie has not been seen in public very much due to his young age and his parents’ desire for privacy.
The last photographs were released of him at New Years, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a video with a series of images looking back at their year on their Instagram.
Royal fans were delighted to see Harry holding his son, with the pair wrapped up in winter hats and coats.
He was also front and centre of the Sussexes’ Christmas card, which was shared by Meghan’s friend Javinda Gavankar on Twitter.
So proud to have taken the Christmas photo for one of my best friends and her family. Here’s the original that was sent out. pic.twitter.com/75aGNPR88X
— janina gavankar (@Janina) December 25, 2019
Archie has been on a royal tour, visiting South Africa with his parents before they made the decision to step back as senior members of the Royal Family.
He met Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the trip, which was planned around his feeding times.
His parents don’t reveal too much about baby Archie, but during an engagement in November, Meghan told another mother that he was crawling, and revealed he had two teeth.
Archie did not come with Harry and Meghan while they were in the UK for their final engagements in March - as Meghan was concerned about his health in the early days of coronavirus.
But she did reveal he was trying to learn to walk and said having him had changed her life.
He appeared on a videocall to the Queen on her 94th birthday, showing the Sussexes are keen to keep in touch with their family in the UK.
And Harry talked about enjoying family time during lockdown while on a call with families supported by WellChild, a charity he has worked with for several years.
Read more: Chocolate cake and gun salutes: How the Royal Family celebrates birthdays
As Archie was not given a royal title, his surname is slightly different to his parents. He will be known as Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, while his parents use Sussex as a surname,
His middle name is a sweet tribute to his dad, as Harrison means ‘Harry’s son’.
The meaning behind his first name was revealed in April 2020, when the name of his parents’ new organisation also emerged. They were influenced by the Greek word Arche, which means ‘source of action’.
Their organisation will be called Archewell.
Archie may be young, but he has already been an inspiration to some. The Daily Telegraph revealed Harry and Meghan turned down a request by New South Wales state government to name one of the planes which fought the bushfires after him.
Harry and Meghan declined the request because their son was not yet in public life.
The state wanted to name the airtanker after him because the couple announced Meghan was pregnant while on a royal tour in Australia.
Read more: How the royals tackle parenting
Archie Mountbatten-Windsor was born at 5.26am on 6 May 2019, at the Portland Hospital in London, and weighed 7lb 3oz.
He met his great-grandmother and great-grandfather two days later, with his grandmother Doria Ragland there too.
He was christened at the private chapel in Windsor Castle on 6 July 2019, by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
It’s not known how he might celebrate his first birthday, but his mother was known to be a keen cook before she met the prince, and ran a lifestyle blog, so will likely be planning something special for her son.
They also video called the Queen for her birthday, so keeping in touch with family and friends will also mark the occasion.
