In May 2019, the moment that the world has been waiting for has finally arrived – the birth of Megan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal baby! The Duke and Duchess of Sussex happily released that they were expecting back in October 2018, with the due date revealed to be in the “spring of 2019”.
Though details surrounding the pregnancy were vague, as the couple wanted to maintain their privacy during this special time, that didn’t stop the baby fever from spreading.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the wait was over and the couple welcomed their first child on Monday, May 6, 2019.
Since the birth, the couple has been careful to not disclose too much information to the public. Life constantly in the public eye can be overbearing for anyone, especially a royal, and the Duke and Duchess wanted to keep their child private for as long as they could. As time goes on, the couple is beginning to reveal more information about their beloved bundle of joy. Join in on the excitement and read what Meghan and Harry have been lying about their child and the important detail that no one saw coming!
It seemed like it was only yesterday that Meghan Markle went into labor, with Buckingham Palace posting an official announcement. Shortly after, at exactly 5:26 a.m on May 6., the royal baby was born and the new mother and father couldn’t be more ecstatic.
They immediately posted on their Instagram feed, revealing to the world that “It’s a boy!”. In addition, they went on to reveal that their son weighed 7lbs., 3oz and that both the mom and the baby are “healthy and well”.
For the time being, that was all they chose to share about their new child, but they promised that they would reveal more information in the future, saying a big a thanks to “members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives.”
Meghan and Harry were not the only ones to share in their excitement. The royal family as well posted on their site (royal.uk) about the new royal. They even added a few more details, such as Harry was present in the room during the delivery and that Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, was staying with the family at their home in Frogmore Cottage. We are sure that the new grandma couldn’t wait to snuggle her new grandson!
During and even after Meghan’s pregnancy, there was little information revealed to the public, such as when the baby was due. Instead of an exact date, the royal family were adamant on keeping it vague. However, we were able to gather some more details from the new dad. During an interview, when asked about choosing names for the baby, Harry let it slip that the couple had more time to deicide since the baby was “a little overdue”. This shocked us all, who would have otherwise figured that the baby being born on May 6 was right on time.
Though no one outside of the royal family knew the exact due date, it didn’t stop many from trying to figure it out. Emily Nash, a royal expert, even came pretty close to the actual birth date. She tweeted a conversation she overheard, saying that, “Meghan has told well-wishers in Birkenhead that she is six months pregnant – due end of April/beginning of May!” Immediately, she and others working at Cosmopolitan went to work calculating Meghan’s due date. After intense contemplation, they guessed that the due date was “around May 10”. With only a four-day difference, their guess was pretty spot on.
Meghan and Harry’s son is not the only royal to have been born recently. In fact, his cousin Prince Louis was born just a year before him. As has become tradition, Kate Middleton walked the steps of Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s – the same place where Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William and Prince Harry - with her third child seven hours after giving birth.
Many wondered if Meghan and Harry were going to do the same, but the couple quickly rejected the idea. The Buckingham Palace later revealed that “their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private. The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.”
Though they chose to keep their baby out of the limelight on the day of his birth, the couple didn’t wait long to introduce their son to the world. After two days, the couple walked into Windsor Castle – where they got married – with their new bundle of joy they were eager to gush over. Megan even revealed that her newborn son “has the sweetest temperament” and that “he’s really calm”.
Harry joined in, saying, “I wonder who he gets that from.” The new parents were beaming with happiness as they continued to rave about their new child. Meghan went on to add that parenthood has been “magic” and that “it’s pretty amazing and, I mean, I have the two best guys in the world so I’m really happy.” The new father couldn’t agree more. “We are so thrilled,” Prince Harry said, “to have out own little bundle of joy.”
Just like with most things surrounding this new royal’s birth, Meghan and Harry waited to reveal their child’s name after his birth. It wasn’t until after the baby’s first visit to his great-grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, did Harry and Meghan finally release their son’s name to the world via Instagram. Their choice took many by surprise.
Their post read: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first-born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.” That’s right! The Duke and Duchess once again broke from tradition by not picking a name connected to the modern British royal family. Even royal expert Katie Nicholl believed that Meghan and Harry wouldn’t break this tradition. Wanting to do things their own way, Meghan and Harry chose the name Archie which is a non-family name and is, in fact, not even of British origin but German, meaning “truly brave”.
Baby Archie’s first name wasn’t the only thing that intrigued people – his last name, Mountbatten-Windsor, also intrigued the public. We were informed by a royal expert that the couple actually had two options when deciding a last name for their son. They could have chosen Harry’s dukedom.
For example, his brother William is the Duke of Cambridge, which is why his children’s last names is Cambridge. Instead of giving their child the last name Sussex, which many figured that they would do, Meghan and Harry decided to go with the second option and use the hyphenated last names of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II’s descendants: Mountbatten-Windsor.
When Archie was born, many assumed that Meghan gave birth at home, especially since Harry talked with reporters outside of their home shortly after he arrived. An official statement was even issued by the royal family that said that Meghan’s mom was “with Their Royal Highnesses at Frogmore Cottage.” The first birth announcement placed on the easel at Buckingham Palace even stated that he was born at the cottage.
However, after a change in announcements, royal expert and commentator Emily Andrews confirmed on social media that the royal baby was born somewhere else. “We were led to believe by palace aides that baby Sussex was born at Frogmore Cottage, but in fact he arrived at private London hospital the Portland.” The Portland happens to be the only private maternity hospital in the UK and was where Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, also gave birth.
Even before it was announced that Meghan was pregnant, people were already speculating over the baby’s status as being both American and British. Who knows, maybe one day he will run for President while in line for the throne of England? Though it seems highly unlikely, it is still possible since he was born with dual citizenship.
However, it is unlikely that Archie would keep both citizenships as he grows up. It could be that one day he might even renounce his American citizenship simply because of tax purposes since the United States “may be the only country that taxes the income of citizens who live outside of the country.” Of course, we will have to wait and see what Archie decides, but one thing is for sure, he certainly has a bright future ahead of him.
Archie’s first visit to his great-grandmother and great-grandfather was quite memorable. Sad thing is that he won’t remember it being that he was only two days old when he met the Queen of England. Soon after their meeting, Meghan told reporters that “we just bumped into the Duke as we were walking by which was so nice.
So, it’ll be a nice moment to introduce the baby to more family.” Harry laughed, “Another great-grandchild. Another.” He certainly wasn’t kidding. Now at the age of 93, the queen has welcomed four children, eight grandchildren, and, now, eight great-grandchildren. Certainly, Archie will have plenty of playmates to play with as he grows.
Before Archie was born, his loving parents wanted to ensure that he would have a comfortable place to stay in, which is why they spent a generous amount of time preparing his nursery. The theme for the nursery was revealed by Katie Nicholl, a royal expert, who told Entertainment Tonight that Prince Harry and Meghan chose to go a simple route when it came to colors.
“According to sources who are helping with [their new home] renovations, the nursery itself is going to be very modern. Don’t expect to see any baby pink or baby blue.” Nicholl continued, saying, “Apparently, it’s going to be a monochrome palette – whites and grays, I’m told, will be the color theme for the baby Sussex’s nursery.” Though there has yet to be pictures of the nursery released, we can only hope that Meghan and Harry will post some soon on their Instagram.
Now that Archie has been born, many are wondering how to address him! Is he a master or is he his Royal Highness? Since he is too far from the throne, he won’t be referred to as a Prince like William and Kate’s children. If that is the case, what will be his title? Royal expert Victoria Arbiter told Global News that Archie will most “likely be the Earl of Dumbarton, one of Harry’s subsidiary titles.” However, after Archie was born, the royal couple decided to not give their son a title at this time, meaning that for now he will be addressed as Master Archie.
That could all change though once Charles becomes king, because it would bring him higher in the line of succession, meaning that he could one day be referred to as Prince. That is, of course, if Charles does not change things during his rule. Rebecca English, another royal expert, stated that “Charles has been clear he wants to slim down monarchy. He may issue new letters patent and so this baby wouldn’t be eligible.” Only time could tell if Archie will one day be a Prince or not.
When a royal baby is born, there is always the question of who will be the child’s godparents? This same question was asked when Archie was born and has caused a lot of hubbub as a result. Many automatically assumed that the couple would choose William and Kate as the godparents, but evidence shows that that will probably not be the case, especially since William and Kate did not chose Harry or Pipa as the godparents of their children.
This does not mean that there are any hard feelings between the couples, but rather that they already have very important roles in [the baby’s] life as the uncle and aunt of their child. That being said, some are speculating that the godparents will be close friends of Meghan and Harry - one that will help the child throughout their “spiritual journey.”
Since Archie was born the line of succession has officially changed, placing the newborn royal in seventh place right behind his father, Harry. As a result of his birth, he pushed aside Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s II’s third child, into eight place. As for his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, they have been respectively bumped down to ninth and tenth place.
Though it is possible that Archie could one day rule as king, it is highly unlikely. Royal expert Victoria Arbiter reported that “it’s very unlikely that this baby will ever be monarch. It would take a catastrophe of unforeseen circumstances if we were to wipe out Charles and the entire Cambridge clan.”
Though Prince Harry and Meghan have chose to bend tradition in some areas of their pregnancy, they haven’t rejected all of the royal’s customs. This includes their son’s meet-the-world ensemble, which was created by the royal favorites’ GH Hurt & Son – a company which has been making shawls for royals for years. I
In fact, all three of Kate and William’s children were wrapped in a shawl made by the company. Prince William and even his father Prince Charles were also presented to the world in a shawl handcrafted by the company. Guess there are some things that never change, and nor would we want them too!
Before Archie was born, Prince Harry and Meghan were committed to raising their son in privacy, which is the reason for all the secrecy surrounding their son thus far. To continue this attempt at privacy, Archie’s baptism was a private affair, stunning many. Royal expert Ingrid Seward admitted to Today that “I’ve covered five or six christenings during my royal career and I’ve never come across such secrecy.”
The royal couple even refused for photographers to take pictures before and after the event. All that they provided were two official portraits after the ceremony. Though they are striving to keep their son out of the public eye, many are not happy with the idea. "They can't have it both ways," royal biographer Penny Junor told the Sunday Times. "Either they are totally private, pay for their own house and disappear out of view, or play the game the way it is played."
Though the royal family has stated that Archie was born on May 6, 2019, many have been speculating as to whether or not this was his actual birthdate. Some even believe that Archie could have been born a whole two weeks prior. This notion was first put into people’s heads after Harry made a strange comment during an interview.
When asked who Archie resembled more, Harry answered, “Everyone says that babies change so much over two weeks, so we’re sort of monitoring how this changing process happens over this next month really.” It’s a simple statement, but one that has many people wondering if whether or not the royal couple lied about their child’s date of birth. Nevertheless, Archie’s official birth certificate confirms that he was born on May 6h, putting the conspiracies to rest.