When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their children into the world, they followed the royal rule book.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were introduced to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing shortly after Kate gave birth, with the new parents waving and smiling for the world’s media.
There were then official photos, taken by Kate, and photographers were invited to the chapel for the christenings, getting another glimpse of the royal baby.
But Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had other ideas.
As part of their plan to raise Archie as a “private citizen”, they broke away from tradition and did their own ways.
They didn’t share details of where Meghan was giving birth and ensured the christening was completely private.
While some fans supported their idea, saying it made sense as Archie is sixth in line to the throne and unlikely to ever be king, but Prince William reportedly wasn’t happy.
In his new book, Battle of Brothers, royal expert and the advisor for the TV show The Crown Robert Lacey claims the Sussexes’ decision ruffled feathers behind palace walls.
He writes: “William did not think too highly of Harry and Meghan’s ‘prima donna’ manoeuvres to conceal the birth of their son. He and Kate failed to visit the new arrival for a full eight days.”
But according to Lacey, it was Meghan and Harry’s decision not to reveal Archie’s godparents that really caused upset.
All members of the royal family have godparents, as is traditional in the Christian religion, and they are referred to as ‘sponsors’.
Lacey writes: “‘Secret sponsor’ has a dodgy sound to it. And it is an ingredient of Britain’s representative monarchy that the people should have the right to know who is giving moral guidance to their possible future king or queen.”
He continues: “‘Friends’ of William suggested that the future king, only five places clear of Archie in the order of succession, could not comprehend how such a basic matter of constitutional principle had been misunderstood.
“How could any new Windsor royal be christened in a meaningful sense without the newcomer’s sponsors being known, if not present?
“What does such bizarre and paranoid behaviour indicate about the parents involved? One thing we may conclude is that Harry and Meghan had developed an exaggerated idea of their own importance.
“The months since their marriage had demonstrated that the couple share a common character flaw — they both have a tendency to cascade downwards from their peaks of generous self-confidence into miserable moments of self-pitying victimhood.”
There are numerous rumours about who Meghan and Harry picked as Archie’s godparents, however they haven’t been confirmed.
Possibilities include Tiggy Pettifer, who was Harry and William’s much-loved nanny growing up, and the Duke’s good friend Mark Dyer.
Another friend, Charlie van Staubenzee, is also a likely candidate.