The Duchess of Sussex has revealed a source of inspiration behind her choice of name for her son, Prince Archie, and it may come as quite a surprise.
In a new interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine, the 44-year-old spoke extensively about her upcoming era, and being ready to "author her own next chapter," the publication writes.
However, during the conversation, she also took a look back at her childhood, revealing the source of inspiration for her son's name.
Meghan chatted about how she wanted to become a mother after seeing the mothers in sitcoms and because she loved the Archie comics, which were adapted into the hit CW, later Netflix, series Riverdale.
The Duchess elaborated on her love for the comic book series: "Everyone was like, 'Do you want to be a Betty or a Veronica?'," responding when asked: "Oh, Betty, of course. She was so nice."
In the UK, 'Archie' is a historically well-loved, relatively common name – however, within the royal context it is more surprising. Unlike his younger sister's name, Archie's does not have an immediate royal precedent. Combined with its brevity and modern usage with little link to royalty, the name truly stands out among the youngest generation of royal children.
Riverdale cast and crew reacted to Archie's name when he was born
When Prince Archie was born in May 2019, various members of the cast and crew behind Riverdale jokingly responded to the young royal's name online.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka shared a photograph to Instagram posing alongside KJ Apa with the caption: "Me and the royal baby. Congrats Meghan and Harry!"
Meanwhile, Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre Sacasa took to X, then Twitter, to write: "Best. Crossover. Ever. #Riverdale goes ROYAL. Congrats to the Meghan and Harry!"
Meghan and Harry did not share their children's names before birth
In May, the Duchess of Sussex revealed in an episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, that she found the process of naming her company to be quite similar to choosing a name for her children.
Speaking to SPANX founder Sara Blakely, she said: "It's no different. I will say this to every woman in the world or every person in the world who's going to have a child: if you have an idea about what you are going to name that baby, you keep it so close to your heart, until that baby is born and it's named. Don't ask anyone's opinion."
At the time of Princess Lilibet's birth, two years after Archie's, the couple affirmed that they had sought the permission of the late Queen before settling on their name, but various royal insiders disagreed.
Nicky Haslam, a close friend of Queen Camilla, said, on the Third Act podcast in March 2022, that Queen Elizabeth was hugely upset with the couple's choice to use her childhood nickname as their daughter's first name.
Moreover, author Robert Hardman wrote in his new book, Charles III: New King, New Court, that she was "as angry as I'd ever seen her" after the couple declared that she was aware and supportive of the decision to use the name.
On the other hand, the spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time said: "The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement – in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called.
"During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name."