Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed a healthy baby boy on May 6: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. For his name, the couple decided to look at the royal family tree for inspiration: Archie is derived from Arthur, which happens to be one of Prince Charles's names.
The royals have a long history of picking names that pay homage to family members. For example, Prince William and Kate Middleton welcomed their third child Prince Louis Arthur Charles to the family last spring. The names don't exactly fit in with the Emmas and Liams in most nurseries these days, but each pick has multiple ancestral namesakes. Louis (pronounced Lou-ee) pays tribute to Prince Philip's late uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was also Prince Charles's beloved mentor and "honorary grandfather." Arthur goes a long way back, both to the legendary king of Camelot as well as King George VI, the Queen's father, who had it as a middle name. Finally, Charles clearly pays homage to Prince Charles, Louis's grandfather. Uncle Prince Harry — who was born Henry Charles Albert David — also counts it as part of his name too.
That said, a few royals have bucked tradition. Prince Andrew and Sarah, duch*ess of York (a.k.a. Fergie) stunned the public when they announced Princess Eugenie's name on March 30, 1990. Bookmakers William Hill told the Los Angeles Times that they had taken thousands of bets but not a single one for Eugenie (pronounced YOO-jen-ee). Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall (née Phillips) also has an untraditional name apparently suggested by Prince Charles.
Check out every regal moniker in the book with this list of the royal family's full names:
The Queen's Immediate Family
(From left to right) Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth, and King George VI sit for a portrait at Buckingham Palace in 1942.
King George VI, born Albert Frederick Arthur George (1895-1952)
Queen Elizabeth II's father
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002)
Queen Elizabeth II's mother
Queen Elizabeth II, born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (1926-)
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, born Margaret Rose (1930-2002)
Queen Elizabeth II's sister
Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, born Antony Charles Robert (1930-2017)
Princess Margaret's former husband
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Queen Elizabeth II's husband
The Queen's Children
(From left to right) Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward, and Prince Charles pose for a family portrait at Buckingham Palace in 1972.
Charles, Prince of Wales, born Charles Philip Arthur George (1948-)
Queen Elizabeth II's first son
Diana, Princess of Wales, born Diana Frances née Spencer (1961-1997)
Prince Charles's former wife
Camilla, duch*ess of Cornwall, born Camilla Rosemary née Shand, previously Parker Bowles (1947-)
Prince Charles's current wife
Anne, Princess Royal, born Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (1950-)
Queen Elizabeth II's daughter
Captain Mark Phillips, born Mark Anthony Peter (1948-)
Anne, Princess Royal's former husband
Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, born Timothy James Hamilton (1955-)
Anne, Princess Royal's current husband
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, born Andrew Albert Christian Edward (1960-)
Queen Elizabeth II's second son
Sarah, duch*ess of York, born Sarah Margaret née Ferguson (1959-)
Prince Andrew's former wife
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, born Edward Antony Richard Louis (1964-)
Queen Elizabeth II's third son
Sophie, Countess of Essex, born Sophie Helen née Rhys-Jones (1965-)
Prince Edward's wife
The Queen's Grandchildren
(From left to right) Meghan, duch*ess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, duch*ess of Cambridge watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London, England.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, born William Arthur Philip Louis (1982-)
Princes Charles's first son
Catherine, duch*ess of Cambridge, born Catherine Elizabeth née Middleton (1982-)
Prince William's wife
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, born Henry Charles Albert David (1984-)
Prince Charles's second son
Meghan, duch*ess of Sussex, born Rachel Meghan née Markle (1981-)
Prince Harry's wife
(From left to right) Peter Phillips, Autumn Phillips, Zara Tindall, Jack Brooksbank, Princess Eugenie, Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence arrive for the Easter Mattins Service at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 1, 2018 in Windsor, England.
Peter Phillips, born Peter Mark Andrew (1977-)
Anne, Princess Royal's son
Autumn Phillips, born Autumn Patricia née Kelly (1978-)
Peter Phillips's wife
Zara Tindall, born Zara Anne Elizabeth née Phillips (1981-)
Anne, Princess Royal's daughter
Mike Tindall, born Michael James (1978-)
Zara Tindall's husband
Princess Beatrice of York, born Beatrice Elizabeth Mary (1988-)
Prince Andrew's first daughter
Princess Eugenie of York, born Eugenie Victoria Helena (1990-)
Prince Andrew's second daughter
Jack Brooksbank, born Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank (1986-)
Princess Eugenie's husband
Lady Louise Windsor, born Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor (2003-)
Prince Edward's daughter
James, Viscount Severn, born James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor (2007-)
Prince Edward's son
The Queen's Great-Grandchildren
Prince George of Cambridge, born George Alexander Louis (2013-)
Prince William's first son
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, born Charlotte Elizabeth Diana (2015-)
Prince William's daughter
Prince Louis of Cambridge, born Louis Arthur Charles (2018-)
Prince William's second son
Savannah Phillips, born Savannah Anne Kathleen (2010-)
Peter Phillips's first daughter
Isla Phillips, born Isla Elizabeth (2012-)
Peter Phillips's second daughter; pronounced Eye-la
Mia Tindall, born Mia Grace (2014-)
Zara Tindall's first daughter
Lena Tindall, born Lena Elizabeth (2018-)
Zara Tindall's second daughter; pronounced Lay-na
Archie Harrison
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son
