He was the second son of Count Ludvig Douglas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, and Countess Anna Ehrensvärd. His eldest son, Count Carl Douglas-Stjernorp, was a diplomat and Royal Swedish Ambassador. Archibald's elder brother Robert, a nobleman in Germany, married dowager Queen Augusta Victoria of Portugal, widow of King Manoel II. In 1930s and 1940s, Archibald held commands over large military districts, and as Chief of the Army (1944–48). Douglas died as a result of a car accident near Linköping in July 1960.