London — The waiting game is finally over. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have revealed the name of their first child: Archie HarrisonMountbatten-Windsor. The royal couple made the announcement Wednesday via their official Instagram account, ending several days of feverish speculation about their son's name.
The announcement came with a black and white photo showing Queen Elizabeth II meeting her new grandson. The monarch was flanked by her husband, Prince Philip, and her grandson, Prince Harry, and Meghan stood beside her mother, Doria Ragland.
Archie became seventh in line to the British throne the moment he was born, but he won't be called "his royal highness," as the rules around the granting of royal titles were tightened up about 100 years ago. Harry and Meghan could have chosen to have Archie bestowed with an aristocratic title — make him an earl, for instance — but they decided against it.
Britain's booming betting business had shown before Wednesday's announcement that a lot of punters expected the new baby to be named Alexander, Arthur, Philip or a handful of other go-to historical British royal names.
Archie was considered a more contemporary choice by many royal observers, but not one that was totally unexpected of Harry and Meghan.
Meeting the royal baby
Earlier on Wednesday Harry and Meghan introduced their son to the world in a highly-orchestrated photo opportunity at Windsor Castle, but they declined at the time to give his name.
Meghan, who appeared happy and healthy, said her son had "been a dream" and has the "sweetest temperament, he's really calm." The new-born slept right through his first media encounter.
"It's magic, it's pretty amazing, and I have the two best guys in the world, so I'm really happy," she said during her son's first brief encounter with a television camera.