Originally, the certificate referred to Harry as “His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex” and Meghan as “Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex”.

After being amended on June 5, Archie’s birth certificate dropped “Rachel Meghan” from the Duchess’s title and referred to her only as “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex”.

Meghan was born Rachel Meghan Markle, but goes by her middle name professionally. The former actress and Harry recently made them and their two children’s official surname Sussex, with a source telling The Times they did so to “unify” the family.

Harry and Meghan were married in May 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, about one year before Archie was born.

After they tied the knot, their relationship with the royal family became increasingly difficult, generating many headlines and speculation.

At the end of June 2019, Harry and Meghan announced they would split from their joint charity with Prince William and Princess Kate. Called the Royal Foundation, the two brothers founded the charity together in 2009 as a vehicle for their charitable endeavours.

The pair officially “stepped back” as senior members of the royal family and announced their intention to move to California in January 2020, a shock move that created searing divisions in the royal family and was coined “Megxit” by royal commentators.

Although the Sussexes have not addressed the reason behind the amendment to Archie’s birth certificate, The Sun reported that it may have been done as a “snub” to the Prince and Princess of Wales amid the fallout between the two princely brothers and their partners.

William and Kate’s children – George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6 – all have their mother’s name included on their birth certificate.

The paper also suggested that Harry may have wanted Meghan to follow in the footsteps of his own mother, Princess Diana, who went by the title of “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales”.

Several people familiar with the royals shared their thoughts on the matter with The Sun, including the Queen’s ex-press secretary Dickie Arbiter, who said the amendment could’ve been “an early part of their plan”.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward told the paper: “For a royal to change a birth certificate is unprecedented but to remove forenames is remarkable.

“Perhaps this is another sign they were desperate to do something different to the Cambridges.”

“It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking,” remarked Lady Colin Campbell, a British Jamaican socialite and royal commentator who first discovered the amendment.

Royal family birth certificates are always closely watched for hidden messages, signs of family rifts and status quo rebellion, and members of the public have learned a great deal from these documents.

For example, Princess Charlotte’s birth certificate detailed her full name as, “Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge,” revealing that the name of the Wales’ second-born paid tribute to her late grandmother and great-grandmother.