'A Normal Boy' Harry's Heartfelt Gift To Archie

The Prince saves his son from the spotlight he loathed

- Judy Kean

Proud new dad Prince Harry has plenty of people he can hit up when it comes to parenting tips.

Big brother Prince William, for starters, is a great source of knowledge, thanks to being dad to Prince George (5), Princess Charlotte (4) and Prince Louis (1).

But it seems the family member Harry is most likely to look to when it comes to inspiration on how to bring up his son Archie is his cousin Zara Tindall. He apparently greatly admires the way Zara and her husband Mike are giving their daughters Mia and Lena a happy and down-to-earth childhood away from the protocols and restrictions of the royal family, and wants the same thing for his boy.

The decision by Harry (34) and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (37), not to give their firstborn son a title is a clear indication that they want Archie to have as normal an upbringing as possible. Although they would have had to ask the Queen to issue a special letters patent (a type of royal decree) to make Archie a prince, they could easily have used the title Earl of Dumbarton – one of Harry’s subsidiary titles – for their son. Or he could have been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

By choosing to do neither of these and instead have him known simply as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, Harry is sending a strong signal that he wants his child to be raised more like his cousins’ children than his brother’s.

Royal biographer Penny Junor says Archie’s lack of a title is a reflection of Harry’s struggles with growing up royal. Although his mother Princess Diana tried to give her boys a normal upbringing, they both felt the weight of their royal responsibilities. “He would have dearly liked to have been a normal boy,” Penny says.