Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are living their best life in the US with their children. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were supposed to get to live a quiet and calm life far away from the paparazzi and headlines when their parents exited the Royal Family, but sadly, that didn’t quite turn out to be the case.
The Sussexes have been extensively criticized for handling the royal part of their children’s situation, not least because they barely have any—or none—connection or contact with their UK family. Meanwhile, royal experts have also hit out at Harry and Meghan for giving Archie and Lilibet royal titles.
Prince Archie’s birth was quite different from Lilibet’s, since it occurred while the couple was still a part of the Royal Family. Yet as early as that point had Harry and Meghan decided to do things differently, breaking one major royal tradition during their son’s first day on earth.
While the Sussexes have been adamant that their children wouldn’t be used as tools for the Royal Family, one expert has posed an extraordinary question: Did the Royal Family deceive the public when Archie was born?
On March 31, 2020, Harry and Meghan officially ended their lives as royals. The couple’s decision to leave the monarchy shocked fans worldwide.
Prince Archie
While the feud with the Royal Family had started years before the couple left, Harry and Meghan were always focused on creating a family. Their son, Archie, was born at The Portland Hospital in London on May 6, 2019.
As with the birth of any royal child, Archie’s birth was a monumental occasion when. However, Harry and Meghan decided to approach things a bit differently.
In her book The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, Katie Nicholl described Harry as “almost morbidly obsessed” with keeping Archie’s birth as secret as possible.
Yet as millions of loyal fans and the majority of the public sought information about the little boy, the longing for secrecy was ignored, instead dubbed part of the “unwritten contract between the royals and the public.”
“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,” Rebecca English, royal editor of the Daily Mail, added.
Usually when a royal baby is born, the parents find themselves on the steps of the hospital with their new son or daughter to post before the media. After photographs are taken, the proud mother and father answer a few questions before retreating to privacy.
According to Katie Nicholl, Harry and Meghan wanted to approach Archie’s birth differently. Instead of facing the media openly, they tricked reporters and photographers.
“Harry had always enjoyed outfoxing the media”
Prince William, Prince Harry, and William’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, were all born at St Mary’s Hospital; thus, the traditional first baby photos were taken there. However, Meghan’s doctor worked at Portland Hospital, so it made sense for Meghan to deliver Archie there.
Also, the Sussexes were told that the place would make photos impossible due to safety considerations around the entrance.
“Harry had always enjoyed outfoxing the media,” Nicholl wrote in The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown.
“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.”
“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,” she said.
Two days later, Harry and Meghan decided to participate in a brief photo session, where just one reporter was permitted to ask questions.
While royal fans worldwide were overjoyed with Archie’s birth, one expert had other ideas about the Royal Family’s handling of the situation.
Expert accused royal family of ‘deception’ when Prince Archie was born
Writing in the Daily Mail, historian and royal expert Robert Lacey accused the royal family of ‘deception’ and perpetuating a “lie” about the young boy’s birth.
“There was the deception over the announcement of Archie’s birth, which unlike every other royal birth of modern times took place in total secrecy. Buckingham Palace announced at 2 pm on May 6, 2019, that Meghan had gone into labour that morning – when in fact, she had safely given birth to baby Archie eight hours earlier, at 5.26 am,” Lacey said, as per OK!.
While Harry and Meghan didn’t do the traditional photo-op on the hospital’s doorstep, they skipped one other tradition. Lacey told the Mirror that the Sussexes kept Archie’s godparents a secret for some time, while tradition states that they are revealed when the child is born.
“It is still expected by monarch, palace, and just about anyone with a stake in the game that the world should be told who the new royal baby’s ‘sponsors’ are,” Lacey said. “How can you judge the suitability of a sponsor who remains unknown? Yet the names of Archie’s godparents are still a secret today.”
Later, the Sunday Times revealed that Harry and Meghan had named Tiggy Pettifer, Prince Harry’s childhood nanny, as godmother. Harry’s close friend, Mark Dyer, became godfather.
“They were both constants in Harry’s childhood and beyond,” a source told E! News after the report was made public. “They are fascinating choices of figures in Harry’s life that he will hope may keep Archie rooted somehow in the UK, as they relocate to North America.”
Prince Archie received royal title because it was his “birthright”
It has been unclear what roles Archie and Lilibet will play in the future regarding the monarchy, though the royal community was shocked when the Sussexes revealed they had given their children royal titles: Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace,” a spokesman for the couple said.
Many have been confused by Archie and Lilibet’s holding of the prince and princess titles. One royal expert even warned the couple that this might have an unwanted impact on their futures.
Despite Archie and Lilibet not growing up in the royal sphere, it doesn’t mean they won’t have a luxurious upbringing. The fact that they now also have royal titles makes them even more exposed, and according to royal expert and author Tom Quinn, the children may soon feel “horribly trapped.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, have most likely all been told that they are royal and given a thorough run-down of what exactly this means. Prince George, of course, will become king at some point in the future, though exactly what his parents have told him about the job is unclear.
Sadly, three royal children have no relationship with their distant US cousins, Archie and Lilibet, and only Prince Harry and Meghan Markle know if that will ever change.
“Archie is sweet and curious and playful”
The Sussexes are said to want their children to have a normal life, but it’s impossible to ignore that they descend from kings and queens. According to a family friend, Harry and Meghan are in no rush to tell them about their royal heritage.
“They’ll have those conversations in due time,” the family friend told US Magazine. “They’re so well-mannered. Archie is sweet and curious and playful, and Lili is vibrant and happy.”
The friend continued: “I think every parent wants to share their kid with the world, but they just can’t. [Prince] William’s kids, for example, have way more safety, even though they’re recognizable. And the same doesn’t apply to Meghan and Harry’s children. They know the world wants to see [them but] I would expect them to live smaller lives until that gets sorted, if it ever does.”
“They take the kids to school, they pick them up, and they are very active and present with them throughout the day,” the friend concluded.
While Archie and Lilibet’s births indeed were two of the most amazing days in Harry and Meghan’s lives, they have also been through grief connected to children.
Around a year before Lilibet’s birth, the couple went through a traumatic experience. In 2020 Meghan fell pregnant again, though tragically lost the baby.
Meghan Markle revealed she had a miscarriage
Four months later, in a personal article, Meghan revealed how she had felt a sharp pain and was admitted to the hospital.
“Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal. Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief,” Meghan wrote.
Now, four years on, the scars remain. A source told OK! Magazine that Meghan naturally feels sadness at that time of the year when the anniversary of her miscarriage approaches.
However, love conquers all, and her family brings her immense joy.
“She feels so blessed to have Archie and Lili and the family she and Harry have created. But naturally, as the anniversary of her miscarriage approaches, she does have sadness. The date is very poignant for her,” the source told OK!.
“But Meghan is always looking towards the future and is just so grateful for the happiness she has in her life with Harry and the kids.”
“I will say I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again quite young, so this isn’t in our immediate future, but I also feel frightened by how it’s continuing to change and this will be in front of us,” she said.
Meghan feel it’s “crucial” for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to see her work
Archie was set to begin kindergarten in August, while Lilibet prepared for preschool. The Duchess will have more time to focus on her work, not least her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which was launched earlier this year.
The source tells OK! Meghan considers it crucial to show her children that “mummies work as well.”
“But her family life will always come first, she will fit work in around the children’s schedules so she is there for them when they need her and she just wants to make the most of and cherish every moment with them as they grow up,” the source explained.
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