There is always going to be a lot of fanfare surrounding royalty, but it seems as if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have gotten more than their share. Ever since they began dating, the British tabloid press has been following them.
We shouldn’t be surprised that Prince Harry has gotten so much attention. Not only is he popular in his home country, but now that he has moved to the United States, it seems as if the entire world is interested in him.
In addition, when he married Meghan Markle, she already had a following because she was in the television series, Suit. That was even a bone of contention to a certain extent when she was becoming part of the royal family.
Big news happened at the Portland Hospital in London on May 6, 2019. Harry and Meghan welcomed their first child, Archie into the world. You likely know that the birth of a royal child is a big deal, but Harry and Meghan took a different route.
Katie Nicholl, a royal expert said that Harry obsessed over town keeping the details of his son’s birth private from the press. In her book, The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, she said that he was practically ‘morbidly obsessed’ with keeping the birth a secret.
You really can’t keep something like that secret with millions of people around the world trying to gather information. Even though he wanted privacy, many felt that it was a breach of the ‘unwritten contract’ that exists between the public and royals.
A royal editor for the Daily Mail, Rebecca English had the following to say: “Behind the scenes, matters were so fraught that more than one official — as I know from personal experience — was reduced to tears of frustration and despair.”
Something that typically happens after a royal baby is born is for a picture to be taken on the steps of the hospital. There is usually a Q&A that takes place briefly after the photo.
Harry and Meghan wanted to do things differently. According to Katie Nicholl, they tricked the reporters and photographers so they didn’t have to go through with that tradition.
Prince William and Prince Harry were both born at St. Mary’s Hospital. In addition, Prince William’s children were born at St. Mary’s Hospital. That is where the tradition of the first baby photo being taken got its start.
Meghan’s doctors worked at Portland Hospital, so that is where the birth of their first child took place. Because of safety considerations at the entrance, it would also make it impossible for pictures to be taken.
Nicholl wrote: “Harry had always enjoyed outfoxing the media. He and Meghan were thrilled to be safely delivered of their son in London’s private Portland hospital even before the palace press office had confirmed the duchess was in labor.”
Meghan also spoke in the Netflix documentary series about how she was anxious when their son was born. She said:
“There was already the pressure of the picture on the steps. … But I had been really worried going into that labor because I’m older, I didn’t know if I’d have to have a c-section, and I had a very longstanding relationship with my doctor, and that’s who I trusted with my pregnancy.”
A few days later, the royal couple decided they would have a brief photo session and one reporter could ask some questions. They were looking for privacy but they got a lot of drama in return.
There was some controversy surrounding Archie and it occurred before he could even walk or talk. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan openly spoke about how it was difficult for her to live in the UK.
She said that it was a struggle and revealed that even Prince Charles refused to take his son’s phone calls at the time. There was something even more shocking, however, that she mentioned in that conversations took place within the palace regarding how dark Archie’s skin would be when he was born.
Oprah asked: “They were concerned that if he were too brown, that that would be a problem?”
Megan replied: “I wasn’t able to follow up with why, but that – if that’s the assumption you’re making, I think that feels like a pretty safe one.”
She decided not to name the individual who commented, saying that it would be ‘damaging to them.’
On March 31, 2020, Harry and Meghan ended their royal duties officially. Archie had already been born at that time and Lilibet arrived the following year.
Harry and Meghan also let the world into their estate via the Netflix documentary, which was a first. It had been described by others as a ‘Fort Knox.’
In the documentary, photos are shown of Archie and Lilibet. This includes Archie feeding chickens with his mother and photos of his birthday party.
In the Netflix documentary, Harry does give some recollections of Diana, his mother. In addition, there is a part where Meghan is holding Archie and showing him a picture of Diana and explaining who she is.
Since we got to hear Archie speaking in the documentary for the first time, many were also surprised that he spoke with an American accent. Considering the fact that he grew up in the United States for the majority of his life, it really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
Details surrounding Archie’s birth also came out that surprised many. In his book, Spare, Harry brought a lot of things about his life into the spotlight, including the day that his mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash.
He also spoke about how he decided to use laughing gas to calm his nerves when he was at the Portland Hospital while Archie was being worn.
He said: “But I saw two ways of enhancing my calm. One: Nando’s chicken (brought by our bodyguards). Two: A canister of laughing gas beside Meg’s bed. I took several slow, penetrating hits.
“Meg was so calm. I was calm too. Meg, bouncing on a giant purple ball, a proven way of giving nature a push, laughed and rolled her eyes. I took several more hits, and now I was bouncing too.”
After some stress regarding the birth and the possibility that Archie was tangled up in the umbilical cord, he was born safe and sound. Both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle cried at the birth.
It’s nice to know more about what takes place behind the scenes.
