He’s one of the world’s most famous people, and he’s only four!
Ever since his birth on the 6th of May, 2019, Prince Archie, has been in the spotlight thanks to his famous parents and royal bloodline.
As the eldest child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke, and Duchess of Sussex, Archie is currently sixth in line to the British throne.
WATCH NOW: Prince Harry talks about the joys of fatherhood with Archie. Article continues after video.
And whilst it is unlikely that he will ever be crowned King, his parents are preparing him for a life in the public eye by keeping him out of it, at least until he is old enough to opt in.
Speaking with US publication The Cut, Meghan said her concerns about papparazzi following her children weren’t from a privacy crazed perspective, but from that of a protective mother.
“That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
Two months after his birth, Prince Archie was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the private chapel at Windsor Castle.
His parents ruffled feathers when it was revealed that the occasion would be kept private, and information, including the names of godparents, would not become public knowledge.
He wore the frilly cream royal christening grown that has been used for all royal infants born since 2008.
For just under a year whilst his parents were still classed as official working royals, a baby Archie accompanied them on numerous engagements, including overseas to South Africa where he even met anti-apartheid Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
But after Mum and Dad took a step back from the royal family in March 2020, and moved to the US, new photos of the young royal became less and less, his parents regaining a sense of control over their son’s privacy for the first time since he was born.
WATCH NOW: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release a new video of baby Archie for his first birthday. Article continues after video.
In 2020 there were only two glimpses shared with the public of the royal cutie – the first being on his birthday in May when his parents shared a cute video from story time, and the second being in his family’s Christmas card.
Then in 2021, several more snaps were shared, including some footage of the prince at home in California with his parents that was aired as part of the bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview – Oprah with Meghan and Harry.
In the home footage, a delighted Archie dashes between his mother and father as he explores the shoreline with a stick in hand – a touching moment of unbridled joy for the family of three.
“This year has been crazy for everybody, but to have outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie and we go for walks as a family and with the dogs or have a hike or go down to the beach which is so close,” Harry said of the grounding impact his son had had on him and their lowkey lifestyle in Santa Barbara.
“The highlight for me is sticking him on the back of the bicycle in his little baby seat and taking him on these bike rides, which is something I was never able to do when I was young,” he continued.
“I can see him on the back and he’s got his arms out and he’s going ‘Woooo!’ Chatting, chatting, chatting, and he’s going, ‘palm tree! house!’ and all this stuff,” he added of the sweet way he bonds with his son.
Then in the same year, in the docuseries The Me You Can’t See (also with Oprah), a beautiful clip of Archie playing in a backyard tree swing was shown.
Royal watchers were also given another close-up glimpse of Archie in March 2021, when Meghan’s long-time close friend Silver Tree who is a director, shared a gorgeous series of images along with a stirring caption as she defended Meghan in the wake of the Oprah interview.
In the candid, personal images from Silver Tree, one included little Archie – fans immediately flocked to the picture in awe of how much he’s grown.
He also looks like the perfect mix of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan – with Harry’s red hair and Meghan’s unmistakable eyes.
Archie’s final appearance for the year was in his family’s annual Christmas card, which was also the first public image of his sister Lilibet to be released.
Around the same time, his parents revealed that they almost gave Archie a much more traditional royal name – Harrison -, but settled on Archie and used Harrison as a middle name instead.
“Harry and Meghan couldn’t decide between Archie and Harrison for the first name,” a mother who spoke with Meghan at the 2022 Invictus Games told PA.
Then in 2022, a whole slew of new footage and images of Archie was released as part of the six-part Harry & Meghan documentary series that started airing from December 8th, 2022.
In the first volume of the documentary, footage of the family celebrating Archie’s first birthday was shown, much to the surprise and delight of royal watchers across the world.
Archie has spent the majority of his life in the United States and in the “intimate” documentary, he was seen holding an American flag while being cradled in his mother’s arms in 2022.
Curiously, in the footage, Archie was heard speaking in an American accent.
Locals also attending the same Fourth of July event took sneaky snaps of Archie and his parents whilst they were out and about (presumably to see a parade), sharing them to social media.
Sadly, Archie’s “mixed race” parents were also a huge topic for conversation in the documentary.
In the documentary, the father of two said: “My son, my daughter, my child are mixed race and I’m really proud of that,” Harry said.
“When my kids grow up and they look back at this moment and they turn to me, they say, ‘What did you do in this moment?’ I want to be able to give them an answer.”
In the same month, a leaked image was posted to Twitter, showing Archie sitting on his mother’s lap with his maternal grandmother Doria Ragland nearby.
The trio was seated for a web call with several women who specialised in social impact, feminism, and political strategy according to The Sun.
As for 2024, no further images or footage of the now four-year-old have been released.
It was revealed in February this year however that Archie’s last name was changed from Mountbatten-Windsor to Sussex, alongside his sister Princess Lilibet.
Following the coronation of their grandfather, the children were awarded the titles of Prince and Princess of Sussex, the surname change thus reflecting that and giving them the same last names as their parents.
