The Biggest Rumors About Prince Archie And Princess Lilibet

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are hardly ever seen in public, but that hasn't stopped them from being at the center of rumors right from the moment they were born. Au contraire, from naming scandals to ammunition for those looking to stoke the fire between the Wales and Sussex families, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's kids have had their names brought into the press more times than we can count. 

Possibly the first thing to come to mind when thinking of drama surrounding Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are the claims of a racist discussion unnamed senior royals had before Prince Archie's birth. Markle famously shared in her and her husband's joint Oprah Winfrey interview that there had been, "Concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born" (via ITV News). Understandably, that part of the interview made Winfrey furious, and she wasn't alone. 

In the years following the interview, there have been many theories to come to the fore regarding what was said, and who said it. Tom Bower claimed in "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors" that Queen Camilla had joked, "Wouldn't it be funny if your child had ginger Afro hair?" However, there was also a major scandal in December 2023, when the Dutch version of Omid Scobie's "Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival" claimed that King Charles and Kate Middleton had had the conversation. Scobie later clarified that he had never written that, though. With that in mind, questions continue to abound. However, at the end of the day, it was a very big story to be attached to a very little royal.

While the comment regarding Prince Archie's skin color was understandably the biggest story surrounding the young royal, there had also been drama surrounding his birth two years prior. The issue at hand? Mixed messages about his birth. 

Longtime royal fans will likely know that it's something of a tradition for royals to pose outside the hospital after a new baby has been born into the family. However, that wasn't the case with the Sussexes. As Prince Harry revealed in "Spare," Meghan Markle quietly delivered Prince Archie at The Portland Hospital. Two hours later, the couple and their newborn were home at Frogmore Cottage — but that's where things got twisted. Buckingham Palace announced that Markle was in labor on the afternoon of May 6, 2019. However, not long after, a beaming Prince Harry announced to the press that his son had been born that morning.

Unsurprisingly, the confusion raised eyebrows. As pointed out in "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry — The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult," the fact that public funds had been spent on Frogmore Cottage's renovations meant many felt entitled to see the newborn baby. TBH, we'll emphasize entitled, there. Granted, accurate updates would probably have made for at least some goodwill from the British press. It does bear mentioning, though, that in "Spare," Prince Harry pointed out that he and his wife hadn't been responsible for the labor announcement, anyway. Moreover, he shared that he'd been upset by the misleading statement, and taken it up with his publicist. However, he claimed she wasn't concerned by the possibility of a fallout. "Truth didn't matter. Keeping people tuned to the show, that was the thing," he wrote (via Express). Big yikes.

Sadly, Prince Archie isn't the only one to have been at the center of drama and royal rumors right at the start of his life. Who can forget the media storm that erupted when the Sussexes revealed that their newborn daughter had been named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor?

While some were of the mind that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle named their daughter after the queen as an olive branch, it didn't take long for the British press to claim that it had been the direct opposite. This came after a Buckingham Palace insider told BBC that the couple hadn't asked Queen Elizabeth for her blessing to use her childhood nickname. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex denied that right away by way of a spokesperson, but the rumors just wouldn't stop. One royal expert claimed the choice in name was actually rude to the queen. Another mused to Page Six that the couple hadn't actually asked for the late monarch's blessing, so much as they told her about Princess Lilibet's name in advance as a courtesy. 

It's worth mentioning that in the original BBC report, it was noted that lawyers for the couple had warned press outlets not to further the narrative, as they reiterated that there had been a conversation with the prince's grandmother. However, that wouldn't be the end of it. In fact, in Robert Hardman's 2024 biography, "Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story," an unnamed palace source went as far as describing the late queen's response as, "As angry as I'd ever seen her." Again, that's a whole lot of drama surrounding a little girl who can't even spell her name yet, let alone comprehend the rumors about it.

Taking it back to the interview that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did with Oprah Winfrey, the "Suits" alum memorably revealed that Prince Archie — who was born Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor — would not be given a title. At least, not until her father-in-law became king. As with everything else surrounding their children, that became another bone of contention, as outlets like The Guardian were quick to point out that it actually wasn't customary for the great-grandchildren of monarchs to be titled. In the case of Prince William and Kate Middleton's children, there was an exception as they were direct heirs, as children of the future king. 

Of course, Meghan Markle's assertions that her children had been short-changed by not receiving titles meant that there was a ton of attention on the family when Queen Elizabeth passed away. The Sun reported that Sussex children would be styled as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, but sans the "HRH" portion — the title reserved for senior working royals. However, it wasn't until the following year that the official titles (HRH or not) were officially announced, and some questioned why that was. In fact, speaking to Page Six, unnamed sources familiar with the situation hinted at it having something to do with the reports of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being asked to strip their belongings from Frogmore Cottage coming out around the same time. 

Drama aside, the Sussex kids are officially recognized as prince and princess now and are titled accordingly on the royal family's website. 

Switching to rumors surrounding family dynamics, one theory to come out in 2024 was the idea that Prince Archie had been longing to see his grandfather King Charles III. Speaking to Mirror, royal expert Tom Quinn claimed that the young prince was pretty impressed that his grandfather was a king. In light of that, he continued, Meghan Markle was concerned that something like gift-giving could become a problem at some point in the future. 

"Meghan was worried that a magnificent shepherd's hut or similar extravagant present will only increase Archie's growing interest in his royal connections ... She doesn't want Britain to become a longed-for fantasy for her son so she had been pushing Harry to insist that his father gets Archie a simple present," Quinn told Mirror. As for the shepherd's hut, ICYMI, back in 2020 People reported that Prince George had received a particularly swanky one from his grandfather. 

It bears mentioning that Quinn also spoke about Prince Archie missing his royal relatives. However, it's also been reported that Prince Archie has only really met King Charles twice as of May 2021. What's more, he and his parents moved across the pond when he was just a year old. As such, we think it might be best to take this particular rumor with a grain of salt. 

Another rumor to have plagued the Sussex siblings? That their uncle, aunt and cousins intentionally avoided them when they made a rare trip to England. However, let's just say this is another rumor we're a little dubious of. 

Many may remember that Princess Lilibet's first birthday came at a poignant time for Queen Elizabeth, taking place amid the late monarch's platinum jubilee celebrations. The little girl had a party thrown in her honor at Frogmore Cottage, but that's not to say there was a lengthy list of royals in attendance. Au contraire, the now-Prince and Princess of Wales and their children were notably absent — though it bears mentioning that the family was scheduled to be in Wales for jubilee celebrations. Cue rumors that there was an ulterior motive and even a joke by Garcelle Beauvais on "Daily Pop" that there may have been some shady intentions at play. "They can't hold back the flight a couple of hours to meet 'Little bit' and Archie?" she laughed (via The Sun). It's likely Beauvais was making a shady joke herself, as there's no question that royal events take months of prep. What's more, it's actually been said that Prince William and Middleton disapprove of Markle and Prince Harry using private planes — so holding back a commercial flight in this instance would have made for some serious headlines. 

While there's a possibility of truth in all the rumors surrounding Prince Archie and Prince Lilibet, at the end of the day, much of it seems to be speculation. Luckily, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are known to shelter their youngsters from the media, so here's hoping they aren't privy to everything that's been said about them.