Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Prince Archie has become the subject of a viral TikTok video after fans pointed out his “American accent” in footage aired in the Netflix docuseries Sussexes 2022 which was then shared on the social media site.
Archie is Harry and Meghan’s eldest child, born in 2019 while the couple were still working members of the royal family, living in Britain. Their second child, Princess Lilibet, was born in California in 2021, following the family’s move to the United States after their separation from the monarchy.
Harry and Meghan enjoyed the level of privacy they were able to offer their children by raising them away from the royal spotlight. Fans of the couple have only had rare glimpses into their family life, with few authorized photographs of the little prince and princess made public.
In 2022, the couple gave fans an unprecedented view into their personal lives through their six-part docuseries with streaming partner Netflix, titled Harry and Meghan. The show aired self-shot footage of Archie and Lilibet at home and with their family, along with never-before-seen photos and insights from their parents.
Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage
Uploaded to TikTok last month by user @lady_frances1997, the viral video features footage from the documentary’s final episode, which included an audio clip of Archie greeting members of his parents’ Archewell Foundation during a conference call.
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 125,000 times so far, Harry can be heard asking his son: “Archie, come say hello to the team.”
At this, the little prince echoes his father by greeting everyone with: “Hi, James,” “Hi, Michael,” and “Hi, Christine.”
To this, a proud Meghan can be heard praising her son, saying: “Ahh! It’s so good!”
The clip gave fans a rare opportunity to hear the prince speak for the first time.
The post received more than 6,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which praised the young royal and his parents.
“Aww Prince Archie with his little American accent,” one TikTok user wrote.
“Giving his babies the life he wanted,” another posted, referring to Harry.
Another comment read: “He’s adorable!”
Archie has undergone a number of personal developments over the past year, perhaps the most significant being his elevation from “Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor” to His Royal Highness Prince Archie of Sussex, last September.
Archie was not born a prince, according to a convention on royal titles issued by King George V, controlling who could or could not be called a prince or princess of Great Britain.
As the great-grandson of Queen Elizabeth II through the second son of the Prince of Wales, Archie was ineligible for the title of prince. This changed when Queen Elizabeth II died and King Charles III ascended the throne.
As the grandchildren of the new male-born monarch, Archie and Lilibet were given their new titles.
This was first announced in March 2023, when Harry and Meghan first used Lilibet’s princess title following her christening. Commenting on the change, a spokesperson for the couple said: “The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This issue has been resolved for some time in agreement with Buckingham Palace .”
Since 2020, Harry and Meghan have only returned to Britain once with their children. The family traveled to England to take part in Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations in June 2022, just three months before her death.
James Crawford-Smith is News weekThe Royal London Reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on News weekThe Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We would like to hear from you.
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