Who are Meghan Markle's children and when were they born?
Executive summary
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are parents of two children: a son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, born May 6, 2019, and a daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, born June 4, 2021 [1] [2] [3]. Contemporary reporting and biographical entries consistently record those names and birthdates while noting the couple’s choices around privacy and public announcement [4] [5].
1. Who they are — names and birthdates
The couple’s first child is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, born May 6, 2019; multiple mainstream outlets and encyclopedias list that full name and birthdate [1] [2] [6]. Their second child is Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, born June 4, 2021, commonly called Lilibet or “Lili,” and this birthdate is likewise recorded across news outlets and reference sources [3] [2] [7].
2. Where and how the births were reported
Archie’s birth was reported as occurring in London, with the couple breaking typical palace protocol by announcing the birth without a hospital photocall, a detail noted in contemporary profiles [4]. Lilibet’s birth was reported in U.S. sources as taking place at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, with time and location cited in biographical entries [3] [7]. Official announcements from the couple and palace-adjacent statements were the primary public sources for both births, which were then widely reproduced by outlets such as People and ABC News [1] [7].
3. Names, titles and the reasons reported for them
Both children carry the family surname Mountbatten‑Windsor in public records; Archie’s middle name, Harrison, reflects family naming choices, and Lilibet’s namesake nods to both Harry’s mother Diana and to Queen Elizabeth II’s private nickname “Lilibet,” as explained in biographies and encyclopedia entries [4] [2]. Reporting varies on styling and title use—some outlets refer to them as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in contexts acknowledging succession or honorifics, while other pieces emphasize the couple’s private parenting and the couple’s departure from front‑line royal duties [1] [4] [3].
4. Public visibility, privacy and the reporting ecosystem
Coverage of Archie and Lilibet frequently highlights the tension between the family’s fame and efforts at privacy: Archie’s early appearances were limited, and the couple’s move to the U.S. shaped how and when children were shown publicly, a pattern reflected in profiles and news features [4] [7]. Media pieces repeatedly note the couple’s selective sharing—Instagram posts and documentary glimpses have been the principal channels for family images in recent years—an editorial choice documented across outlets [1] [8].
5. Consistency across sources and what reporting does not settle
Major reference works and mainstream news outlets consulted here are consistent on the core facts: two children, names and the two birthdates (May 6, 2019; June 4, 2021) [1] [3] [2]. Where sources diverge is not on dates but on framing—some emphasize royal protocol and titles, others foreground privacy and the couple’s post‑royal life—so readers should distinguish factual birth data from commentary about implications or status [4] [5].
6. Limitations of this summary
This account limits itself to documented, widely reported facts about identity and birthdates; it does not delve into unverified personal details or family dynamics that are not established in the cited reporting. If further specifics (exact birth times beyond published entries, private family decisions, or legal styling) are required, they should be sought in primary statements from the family or official records, which are not fully reproduced in the cited sources [3] [1].