Duchess Meghan named baby after pet cat?

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's newborn baby Archie may have been named after her pet cat.

Friends of the Duchess of Sussex claim the moniker of the royal couple's baby, whose full name is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, could be a reference to her former furry friend, who she used to feed frozen grapes after her mother Doria Ragland rescued the feline.

Photo: AFP

A former close friend told The Sun newspaper: "Doria rescued Archie and he became an important part of the household. Meghan loved playing with him and she was always talking about him to her friends.

"It's no surprise she named her new baby Archie. She loved that cat."

Meghan's moggy, who is thought to have died while she was at college in Illinois, is said to have been named after a comic book character, flame-haired teen Archie Andrews, who she used to read about in comics collected with her father Thomas Markle.

The pal said: "She would spend her weekends going to vintage stores to buy the comics.

"This could be a little nod to her dad. It was him who instilled that hobby into her, that was their activity together. He would drive her around and also surprise her with vintage volumes. She had at least 100. This may be a way to reach out to her dad, even after all that's happened."

The comics have since been brought to life in teen drama TV series 'Riverdale', which appears on Netflix.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex name baby Archie

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed they have named their son Archie, and the announcement came after they introduced the newborn to Queen Elizabeth II.

The royal couple unveiled their son to the world on Wednesday in the grounds of Windsor Castle, and later that afternoon they revealed the full name of their newborn baby boy.

A statement on the official Sussex Royal Instagram account said: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

"This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle.

"The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess' mother were also present for this special occasion."

The sweet moment was captured on camera by Chris Allerton, who was the couple's official private wedding photographer.

Duchess Meghan had admitted the last two days since the tot was born on Monday have "been a dream".

Meghan said: "It's pretty amazing and I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy. He has the sweetest temperament, he's really calm. He's just been a dream, it's been a special couple of days."

Harry cradled his newborn son throughout the unveiling and admitted it is hard to tell who the baby looks like yet.

Photos: AFP/Reuters

The prince - whose parents are Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana - said: "Everybody says that babies change so much over two weeks so we'll be monitoring the changing process over this next month really. His looks are changing every single day.

"Parenting is amazing, it's only been two-and-half days, three days, but we're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy and share some precious times with him as he slowly starts to grow up."

Although the Queen could give the baby the title of a prince it will not be automatic, and his parents could choose for him to inherit one of Harry's titles, or to not have one at all.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex have 'peaceful' first night with son

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a "peaceful" first night with their baby son at home following his birth on Monday.

The royal couple welcomed their son - who is yet to be named - into the world in the early hours of Monday morning and, although the newborn phase is notoriously known for sleepless nights, the pair reportedly felt calm and overwhelmed going to bed as a family of three.

According to the Mirror Online, Royal Commentator Omid Scobie said: "It will be a quiet day in terms of announcements but tomorrow's photo call is not far away.

"Until then, Harry and Meghan are quietly enjoying private time at Frogmore Cottage with their new son. I'm told their first night as a family of three was peaceful and emotional."

It's believed the former actress - who was known as Meghan Markle before she married into the Royal Family last May - and the prince will share the first photograph of their son with the world on Wednesday as well as announce the name they have chosen for him.

The birth of the pair's first child was officially announced in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, in keeping with tradition, yesterday afternoon.

The typewritten note - which was in a gold frame - simply stated: "The Queen and the Royal Family are delighted at the news that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex was safely delivered of a son at 05.26am today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."

Shortly after the couple confirmed their son had been born via Instagram, Harry, 34, spoke with reporters and hailed the birth as an "amazing experience."

He said: "I'm very excited to announce that Meghan and myself had a baby boy earlier this morning, a very healthy boy. Mother and baby are doing incredibly well. It's been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined.

"How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension, but we're both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It's been amazing, so I just wanted to share this with everybody...

"I haven't been at many births, this is definitely my first birth but it was amazing, absolutely incredible.

"I'm so incredibly proud of my wife and as every father and parent would ever say, your baby is absolutely amazing, but this little thing is absolutely to die for so I'm just over the moon."

It's thought Meghan, 37, was keen to have a home birth at their Frogmore Cottage residence in Windsor, Berkshire, South East England, but, according to reports, the duchess was rushed to a London hospital on Sunday night before giving birth at 5.26am on Monday.

Duchess Meghan 'had hospital birth'

The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly secretly taken to a private hospital to gave birth, despite planning on a home delivery.

The 37-year-old former actress - who was known as Meghan Markle before her marriage to Prince Harry - and her husband welcomed a son into the world on Monday (06.05.19), but it is believed they had to alter their plan for a home birth at their Frogmore Cottage residence in Windsor, Berkshire, South East England.

According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Meghan and Harry were accompanied by their security team to a London hospital on Sunday, with the trip kept so tightly under wraps, even senior members of the royal family weren't told.

The duchess stayed in overnight before her baby was born at 5.26am on Monday.

Royal officials declined to comment on the news, but when an official birth announcement was placed in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, in keeping with tradition, it notably did not mention the medical team who delivered the baby, as is customary with such notices.

The typewritten note - which was in a gold frame - simply stated: "The Queen and the Royal Family are delighted at the news that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex was safely delivered of a son at 05.26am today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."

Shortly after the couple confirmed their son had been born via Instagram, Harry, 34, spoke with reporters and hailed the birth as an "amazing experience.

He said: "I'm very excited to announce that Meghan and myself had a baby boy earlier this morning, a very healthy boy. Mother and baby are doing incredibly well. It's been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined.

"How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension, but we're both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It's been amazing, so I just wanted to share this with everybody...

"I haven't been at many births, this is definitely my first birth but it was amazing, absolutely incredible.

"I'm so incredibly proud of my wife and as every father and parent would ever say, your baby is absolutely amazing, but this little thing is absolutely to die for so I'm just over the moon."

Duchess Meghan gives birth

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have welcomed a son into the world.

The 37-year-old royal - who was known as Meghan Markle before her marriage to Prince Harry - and her husband welcomed a 7lb 6oz son into the world on Monday (06.05.19) morning, they have revealed on their Instagram account.

A post titled "It's a boy", was captioned: "We are pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their firstborn child in the early morning on May 6th, 2019. Their Royal Highnesses' son weighs 7lbs. 3oz.

"The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well, and the couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives.

"More details will be shared in the forthcoming days."

The 34-year-old prince has hailed the birth of his son as the "most amazing experience".

He told reporters: "I'm very excited to announce that Meghan and myself had a baby boy earlier this morning, a very healthy boy. Mother and baby are doing incredibly well. It's been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined.

"How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension, but we're both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It's been amazing, so I just wanted to share this with everybody...

"I haven't been at many births, this is definitely my first birth but it was amazing, absolutely incredible.

"I'm so incredibly proud of my wife and as every father and parent would ever say, your baby is absolutely amazing, but this little thing is absolutely to die for so I'm just over the moon."

Harry confirmed he and his wife are still deciding on a name for their son, and will announce the tot's moniker in the coming days.

He added: "The baby's a little bit overdue so we've had a little bit of time to think about it, that's the next bit. For us we'll be seeing you guys in probably two days time as planned."

According to an official royal statement, the Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer have been informed and are "delighted with the news".

Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, is "overjoyed by the arrival of her first grandchild" and was with the couple for the birth.

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