Who Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will pick as baby Archie's godparents
The newest royal baby on the block, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, may only have been born last month, but parents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are already planning a traditional christening for him. And that means making some decisions - like who to choose as godparents.
A report in The Sunday Times this weekend revealed that baby Archie will be baptised "in early July" at St. George's Chapel in Windsor - not only the location of his parents' wedding last year, but also where dad Prince Harry was christened in 1984.
The speed with which Archie is being christened, plus the location of the ceremony, suggests the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are taking a traditional approach to their son's baptism - ehich means they'll probably do the same when it comes to the number of godparents they select. It's typical for members of the royal family to have several godparents; Prince Louis was given six when he was christened last July, while Prince George has seven and Princess Charlotte has five. Here's who's on the 'possibles' list so far for godparent duties.
Who Meghan and Harry might pick as godparents for Archie:
Jessica Mulroney
In the Sunday Times' exclusive sharing initial details about Archie Mountbatten-Windsor's christening, the as-yet-undisclosed list of godparents is described as a "transatlantic mix" of the couple's friends, which points very much in the direction of Jessica Mulroney. Jessica is a celebrity stylist from Toronto, who became best friends with Meghan Markle when the former actress moved to the Canadian city to film Suits.
The friends have remained exceptionally close since Meghan moved to the UK, with Jessica's three children - twin sons Brian and John, and daughter Ivy - all being given roles in the Duchess' bridal party last year. Recently, Jessica and her six-year-old daughter made a trip over the Atlantic to meet baby Archie, so it wouldn't be one bit surprising if Meghan chose her best friend for the important role of godmother to her firstborn.
Serena Williams
Following on with the transatlantic theme, American tennis player Serena Williams is another big contender for godmother. Having been a friend of Meghan Markle's for years, Serena showed her dedication to the friendship by organising (and footing the bill for) a New York City baby shower in a plush five star hotel for Meghan in February.
Serena is outspoken about feminist issues and equal rights, having come up against a hefty amount of sexism as a successful woman in the sporting world. Meghan is also passionate about these issues, so may decide Serena is a good example of a strong woman for her son.
Zara and Mike Tindall
While it's not common for immediate family members to be selected by royals as godparents, it is typical to give the important role to cousins. Zara Tindall is Prince Harry's cousin, and she and rugby player husband Mike recently made Harry godfather to their second daughter, Lena. So will Harry and Meghan return the favour for Zara and Mike?
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho
Prince Harry is passionate about lots of charitable causes, but perhaps the most prominent of those is his very own charity, Sentebale, which he set up with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006. Sentebale, which translates to 'forget-me-not' and honours both the Princes' late mothers, helps vulnerable children in Africa. Through their years working closely together, Prince Harry and foreign royal Seeiso have grown close, so he may be seen as having a positive influence on Archie's life when it comes to charitable work, and might therefore be selected by Harry and Meghan as one of the royal baby's godparents.
One of the van Cutsem brothers
The van Cutsem brothers have a long history of friendship with the royals after their dad, Hugh, became close friends with Prince Charles when they both attended Cambridge University in the Sixties. Hugh van Cutsem died in 2013 but his four sons - Nicholas, William, Hugh Ralph and Edward - have remained close with Harry and William. Prince William and Kate Middleton selected Nicholas van Cutsem to be Prince Louis' godfather, and William van Cutsem to be Prince George's godfather, so it wouldn't be surprising if Prince Harry also chose one of them to step into the role for his firstborn.
The most likely contender for godparent duties this time around would be Nicholas; Harry is godfather to daughter Florence van Cutsem, and she was a bridesmaid in Harry and Meghan's wedding last year.
Mark Dyer
Formerly a Welsh Guards officer, Mark Dyer worked with the royal family when he got the job of equerry to Prince Charles (essentially an assistant) and served as a male counterpart to Prince William and Prince Harry's royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke. Through that role, Mark became very close to Harry, and is often referred to as Prince Harry's 'second dad', so perhaps Harry will honour him as one of Archie's godfathers?
Who probably won't be Archie's godparents:
George and Amal Clooney
George and Amal Clooney were originally tipped as almost-dead-certs to become Archie Mountbatten-Windsor's godparents, with an insider saying: "Amal and Meghan have been close for years, and Harry and George have become buddies because of that. They're much closer than the headlines let on."
But shortly after Archie's birth George Clooney straightened up the rumours, telling chat show host Jimmy Kimmel that asking him to be godfather "would be a bad idea."
"I'm a father of twins and I can barely do that!" George said. "So I'm not going to be the godfather. I promise you that. I'm fairly sure. I should not be anyone's godfather."
Straight from the horse's mouth.
Prince William and Kate Middleton
Feud rumours aside, there's a much tamer reason William and Kate likely won't be picked as Archie's godparents: it's just not something the royal family does. Prince William and Kate Middleton selected 18 godparents in total for their three children, and not a single one was a sibling/sibling-in-law. So Meghan and Harry will probably follow suit and leave the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as simply 'uncle and aunt'.
Roll on July, when we'll find out who made the godparent-cut and we'll get to see Archie in public once again.
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