Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle decided to withdraw from British royal life early in 2020. The couple wanted their lives to be more nonpublic and spend time between the United Kingdom and North America. The decision they made has had ramifications as now the Queen expresses concerns about how this will affect her relationship with their son, Archie.
1. Birth of Archie
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is the first-born son born to the Duchess of Sussex and Meghan Markle; he was born on May 7, 2019, and weighed a little more than 7pounds. Prince Harry was excited and proud when revealing the news to the media at his family’s home. Read more.
2. Prince Harry’s comments
The Duchess of Sussex explained how sensational the whole experience was and commended women for their strength to give life.
“I’m so incredibly proud of my wife,” he said. The Prince was ecstatic as he was present during the birth of Archie. This proud father was overwhelmed by the little bundle of joy.
3. Family present during Archie’s birth.
It is not only the Prince who was present with Meghan during the birth of Archie. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, was there too. She came to support her daughter, a first-time mother and received her first grandchild.
4. Celebrations following the birth of Archie
The birth of Archie was eagerly awaited and celebrated in different parts of the globe. CN Tower and Niagara Falls participated in the celebration; the London Eye building participated too as it lit up in multicolored light. A day after the delivery, the couple announced to the world what they decided to name their son.
5. The Name, Archie
The name Archie had people talking, trying to figure out whether it was an anagram. The speculation was the name Archie was derived from Meghan’s first name Rachel, and Harrison meant Harry’s son.
None of the gossips was reliable as Archie was named after Major Tom Archer-Burton, shortened to Archie. The name held sentimental value to the couple as Major Tom Archer- Burton played an essential role in Harry’s military service.
6. Prince Harry’s History in service
Major Tom Archer convinced Prince Harry to remain in the military after discovering he wouldn’t be allowed to go to Iraq in 2017. He was of great help to the Prince as a soldier and good friend. Their level of friendship was evident when the soldier attended the couple’s wedding. According to sources, older Archie claims no credit to the name.
7. Archie’s last name
Archies last name has a bit of fascinating history to it. The fascination being, back when the Queen and her husband Prince Philip married, planned on naming the children Mountbatten, but that was not allowed.
The royal family name was Windsor that continued for a while, but that changed before the arrival of Prince Andrew. She changed her mind, and from then on, the British royals have the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
8. Archie’s christening
The christening took place a few months after Archies birth and the service at Queen’s Windsor chapel. The service was small, and only a couple dozen of people attended. Archbishop of Canterbury led the baptism, which was with Jordan River water.
The parents posted pictures on the socials but didn’t reveal who the godparents of Archie were.
9. Archie’s Godparents
The names of the godparents leaked later on, and it was not who people expected. The godmother was Tiggy Pettifer, Harry’s nanny, and the godfather was Mark Dyer, a close friend. The appointed godparents supported Harry after the fatal accident incurred by his mother, Princess Diana.
Them being royals, they get to have more than one set of godparents. There may be a couple more we don’t know.
10. The Monarch of the United Kingdom
Archie is the Queen’s eighth great-grandchild, with the eldest being Savannah Philips, granddaughter to Princess Anne, the Queen’s daughter. The list includes Anne’s son, Peter and her daughter Zara and Prince William’s three children.
Per the rules of British royalty, Archie isn’t a prince. His parents didn’t entertain the idea of their son having any title. If they agreed, he would have gone by Earl of Dumbarton one of Harry’s titles. Archie’s cousins can be called prince and princess.
11. Next in line for the throne
Prince George is third in line for the British throne. Princess Charlotte is next in line for the throne according to the 2011 Perth Agreement, girls have as much right as the boys in succession of the throne.
12. Glimpse of Archie
After the christening, the subsequent appearance of Archie was on an outing to the Billingbear Polo Club near London. He spent his day with his family, watching his dad play polo.
Archie has then separated from his royal cousins soon after, and the Queen expressed heartache following the distance with the grandchild.
13. Megxit
Megxit, the joke word created early in January 2020 after the couple stepped down as senior royals. The Queen and other senior royals had meetings following the announcement. The Queen and her entire family were supportive of the couples’ decision and respected their wishes.
In their new life, the couple agreed on not using the public funds anymore. They would move between Canada and United Kingdom.
14. The Monarch Views on the Separation.
With Archie spending most of his time in Canada, the Queen gets to spend minimal time with her grandson. She explained her sadness as Archie was missing out growing with his cousins and the entire family.
Distance between relatives of the royal family isn’t new as reports indicate that the Queen was barely involved in the upbringing of her son Charles.
15. British Royal family Tradition
The royal family gets to spend Christmas together in Sandringham, one of the Queens’s residence. The grandkids get to spend some time with Gan-Gan. In 2019 the rest of the family turned up, making the absence of Harry and Meghan noticeable.
16. Prince Harry, Archie’s Father
Harry clarified that the separation from the family caused the couple unhappiness, but that didn’t hinder them from enjoying the joy of parenthood.
The Duke of Sussex was grateful to his audience as it has been his privileged to serve them. He claimed nothing changes, for he would still be of service to his people. Harry attempted to clarify the issue of him and Meghan leaving as a necessary evil.
17. Another potential implosion
The Megxit wasn’t the only drama from the royal family in 2020, as another member lost a fortune. David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, was fifth to the throne but has dropped to 21st.
Linley runs his own business selling luxurious furniture and is chairman of auction house Christie’s EMERI. Linley partnered with his cousin and a restaurant in London named Deals.
18. Linley’s royal parents
After Princess Margret split with Captain Peter Townsend, she met her lover, a photographer named Anthony Armstrong-Jones, in 1958 at a dinner party. Their romance was undercover, but in 1960 they decided to marry.
The idea was frowned upon as he wasn’t a royal-like them. They later grew fond of him, and the pair tied the knot on May 6, 1960.
19. Princess Margaret and Armstrong-Jones offspring
In 1961 Armstrong-Jones was titled the Earl of Snowdon. That same year they had their first child David on November 3, followed by a sister on May 1, 1964.
The couple had a rough patch as Tony was away from home a lot, something Margret wasn’t too happy about.
20. Princess Margret’s Affair
With her husband’s absence, Margret started having an affair with a man 17 years younger. The fling with Roddy Llewellyn began in 1971, and two years later, photos of them on a beach leaked to the newspaper.
Armstrong was having his fair share of affairs, and it was clear the couple’s marriage was over. July 1978, the couple finalized their divorce proceedings.
21. Royal Family Divorces
Armstrong and Margret’s divorce of the second as the first occurred in 1901. The split-ups got less scandalous as they became standard. The memorable one was between Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1996.
Princess Anne split from Mark Phillips, as did Prince Andrew from Sarah Ferguson. In her annual Christmas speech, the Queen stated, “Each year brings its share of difficulties for many families. This year has I know, been no exception.”
22. 2020 for the Royals
Earlier as the year begun, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced they were stepping down as royals and moving to Canada without consulting with the family.
Even before the dust had settled, the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn announced their divorce. As if to add salt to the injury David and Serena announced their divorce a week after.
23. The Earl and Countess of Snowdon
The couple has two children, a son Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones, born in 1999, and a daughter Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne, born in 2002. Both children have built lives of their own and have non-royal careers.
David and Serena’s partnership seemed like it would work out as they shared common interests like architecture, outdoor sports, ballet, fashion, design, and a love for arts.
24. Serena and David’s wedding
The glamourous ceremony took place in October. The Queen, Princess Diana, Jerry Hall, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Elton John were on the guest list. Their marriage hasn’t been a smooth sail.
Linley honored his parents before and after the wedding by wearing his father’s crest next to his wedding ring.
25. What had happened?
What happened is best known to the couple, but they claimed that they had drifted apart. Linley and Serena shared a good time and made great memories, but they couldn’t save their marriage.
Linley goes out cycling in his high-vis jacket, looking like a traffic warden. He is active on his socials too. David is a hard worker and travels a lot, which may have played a part in the divorce.
26. Living arrangements
Linley lives in Kensington while Serena often is at Gloucestershire. This living arrangement may have been part of the problem leading to the split.
Both parties are affected by the divorce on different levels, but it is clear the couple was family-oriented.
27. Money Matters
In terms of money, the royals are pretty wealthy. Linley has over the years made a fortune with several properties on his name like; Chateau d’Autet in southern France, a hunting lodge, and an expensive townhouse in London inherited from his father.
He launched Linley Bentley in China to experience cultural diversity and to travel. He juggles two careers but always puts his family first and work second.
28. Division of assets
The fortune acquired over the years will bring about its issues in the divorce. Linley lost his marriage as he worked too much. He once confessed his motivation was money.
He made a high income from his furniture firm, and to top it all up, Linley has received $7 million from his mother, Princess Margret.
29. Sale of family’s Heirlooms
Linley and his sister auctioned some of their late mother’s jewelry, a move their father was not pleased with their actions. He had also contemplated selling his mother’s wedding tiara. Linley’s defense on the sales was education is expensive, and they have a young family requiring the education. However, his estimated net worth was at least $ 25 million.
30. Serena’s money
Serena has a reasonable amount of wealth too from her shop where she sells luxury bath products. Her father, Viscount Petersham, has an estimated net worth of about $300 million.
The couple is determined to handle the divorce proceedings in a civilized manner. If they agree to split their assets amounting to about $51 million, each will get half the amount
31. The Queen’s Remarks
The Queen has been unhappy with the happens at the royal family in 019 and 2020. The news of the divorce was unexpected and took the family by surprise.
The events leading to the divorce were unavoidable, and Linley stands to lose a lot of money. The divorce has so far been less dramatic in comparison to some of the others.
