DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

9 July 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Politics
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

How did a Dutch columnist know the royal baby would be called Archie?

May 9, 2019
Megan shows off baby Archie to the rest of the royals. Photo: Chris Allerton/copyright SussexRoyal via HH
Meghan shows off baby Archie to the rest of the royals. Photo: Chris Allerton/copyright SussexRoyal via HH

On Tuesday, Dutch columnist and ‘royalty watcher’ Aaf Brandt Corstius wrote a piece in which she said the duke and duchess of Sussex’s first baby would be called Archibald. On Wednesday she was almost proved right.

In her column, Brandt Corstius wrote about how the Sussexes would have probably ‘checked all those polls and bookmakers and have crossed all the names they came up with off their list.’

Then, she wrote, they would ‘choose the only name on earth that others had not yet thought of as a good one for their baby. Which is Archibald. Archibald it will be, mark my words.’

On Wednesday, the baby’s name was formally announced as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor – Archie being the short form of Archibald.

‘Someone sent me a Whatsapp message,’ said Brandt Corstius, who was out shopping at the time of the announcement.’Then I got a couple more and then I thought “oh what a laugh”.’

She says she came up with the name after googling for ‘unusual names’. ‘Archibald was the first unusual one that I found, starting with A, so that is what I wrote down. That was it,’ she told the Volkskrant.

‘I was really trying to come up with a name that no-one would think off, because everyone was betting all that money,’ she said. ‘I am now telling everyone that I know Meghan, and people believe that as well.’

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Society
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
European rights court finds Russia responsible for MH17
Dutch bail out Damen Naval with €270m bridging loan: media
Utrecht province gives green light to shoot its problem wolf
Dutch firms rethink diversity policies in response to US decree
Stolen VOC documents turn up in attic, packed in an Action box
NewsHomeEconomyPoliticsArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now