Everything We Know About Baby Archie’s Godparents Tiggy Pettifer & Mark Dyer

Louisa Ballhaus

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Can you imagine being baby Archie’s godparent? All across the world, Archie Harrison is one of the best-known (and most-loved) babies out there — and in addition to his parents, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Archie has quite the number of godparents. While we already knew that Harry’s childhood friend Charlie van Straubenzee was a chosen godparent, we’ve recently learned that Tiggy Pettifer and Mark Dyer also made this highly esteemed list. So, who are these very special friends of Meghan and Harry? Here’s everything we know about Pettifer and Dyer.

On Sunday, The Times revealed that Pettifer and Dyer were on the list of Archie’s godparents. Both godparents have been close to the royal family since the ’90s, and got to know Harry and brother Prince William well as children. 54-year-old Pettier and 53-year-old Dyer have in fact been referred to as a “second mother” and “second father” for Harry and William over the years. Find out why below — plus, how they’ve stayed in Harry’s life as an adult.

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Pettifer was Harry and William’s nanny in the ’90s

The Times reports that Pettifer was nanny to Harry and William between 1993 and 1999 — a key time in the young princes’ lives, given their mother Princess Diana’s untimely death in 1997. She’s described as a motherly figure for the boys and has maintained a close relationship with them all their lives, appearing at royal events like Archie’s christening.

Dyer was Prince Charles’s “equerry” in the ’90s

Dyer came to be involved in the family as Prince Charles’s equerry, an assisting officer to the royal family who played a large role in Harry and William’s teen years and continued to advise them into adulthood. Penny Junor, who wrote Prince Harry biography Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son, called Dyer “somebody the Princes could relate to at that age…they remembered him from their childhood when he’d shown them guns and tanks and things and taken them rock climbing.”

Pettifer and Dyer took on parenting roles after Diana’s death

After Diana’s death, Pettifer reportedly became closer to the boys than ever, having already been their nanny for the past four years. And Dyer took Harry on his first trip following Diana’s death. During a school holiday that 13-year-old Harry had been meant to spend with Diana, Dyer organized a safari in Botswana and took Harry there instead.

Harry is godfather to Pettifer and Dyer’s sons too

Clearly, the trust goes both ways with godparent picks Pettifer and Dyer. Harry is godfather to Pettifer’s two sons Fred and Tom, and also godfather to Dyer’s son Jasper.

Pettifer went to the same finishing school as Princess Diana

Long before she took on her role with the royal family, Pettifer finished her education at Institut Alpin Videmanette. The Sun reports that this is the same Swiss finishing school Princess Diana herself attended.

Pettifer now runs a bed and breakfast

Looking for a place to spend your next UK getaway? Well, Ty’r Chanter, run by Pettifer and husband Charles, has the unique advantage of being a likely spot for an Archie run-in. (Okay, maybe not likely — but more likely than any other bed and breakfast in the area!)

Dyer helped Harry set up his Sentebale charity

One of Harry’s most passionate areas of charity work revolves around Sentebale, the organization he created in 2006 to support those affected by HIV in Lesotho and Botswana. Daily Mail reports that Dyer not only accompanied Harry on his first-ever trip to Lesotho during his gap year but is now a Sentabale trustee.

Dyer now runs a popular bar in London

Long out of the equerry game, Dyer has a new calling in London. He founded management company MDM Bars and Pubs, The Sun reports, and has since purchased and sold bar The Sand’s End, where Harry and Meghan met for dates early on. Now, he owns the Brook House Pub, where Harry has visited in recent weeks.

Pettifer and Dyer briefly dated

Ready for this? Daily Mail reports that Dyer and Pettifer briefly dated — and these photos seem to prove it. While both are currently married, it’s crazy to think they could reunite at Archie’s crib-side…or that Harry’s trying to get his parent figures back together after all these years.

Clearly, both of these picks for godparent have a strong tie to Harry’s childhood in the UK, and may hint that they plan on keeping Archie firmly connected to his royal roots. Whatever Harry and Meghan’s future will look like with regard to the royal family, it’s nice to know that Harry still thinks fondly of the people who were there for him throughout the difficult aspects of growing up royal — and that he believes they could do the same for young Archie one day.

 

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