Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, have two lovely children and a wonderful home. Their firstborn, Archie was welcomed to the world in the UK, while the Sussexes were still active members of the Royal Family, while their daughter, Lilibet, first saw the light of day after the family had moved to the US.
Harry revealed many details about his brood in his book, Spare. Foremost, he recollected the days they were born, and he spoke proudly about the love and joy associated with becoming a father. Sadly, he and Meghan have also endured heartbreak as well, with Meghan suffering a miscarriage about four years ago.
Royal enthusiasts have watched with interest as Archie and Lilibet have navigated their first few years of life. They were not with their parents for the three-day Nigeria tour some weeks ago, but in the future, they may join their parents abroad, too. I should go without saying that – as with any parent – Harry and Meghan miss their children dearly when away. But it appears that Meghan not only sad about the fact that she’s away from her children – but also that they aren’t babies anymore.
On March 31, 2020, Harry and Meghan officially called time on their lives as royals. The couple’s decision to leave the monarchy behind shocked fans worldwide. The Sussexes have repeatedly exposed what they considered faults within the Royal Family, including the perceived difficulties Meghan had in becoming a part of the Firm.
Prince Harry & Meghan Marke – firstborn son Prince Archie
While the feuding had begun years before the couple left the Royal Family, 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.
Before Archie could even talk or walk, he was caught up in a considerable controversy that came to light after Harry and Meghan’s infamous Oprah Winfrey interview. During that sit down, his mother spoke openly about her time and troubles where living in the UK was concerned.
She revealed many things about the British monarchy, including that then-Prince Charles refused to take Harry’s phone calls.
However, the most shocking part occurred when Meghan claimed conversations had taken place within the palace concerning how dark Archie’s skin would be before his birth.
As with the birth of any royal child, it was a monumental occasion when Archie was born. 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.
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle ‘tricked’ reporters at the time of Archie’s birth
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 usually 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.
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. Not only that, but 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.”
In their Netflix documentary series, Meghan explained how she was anxious about what might happen the day her baby boy was born.
“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.
Harry ate chicken while Meghan was in labor
Two days later, Harry and Meghan decided to participate in a brief photo session, where one reporter was permitted to ask questions.
Though everything went according to plan, their time at the hospital had been quite dramatic. In Spare, Harry described an extraordinary scene at the Portland Hospital, where he got high on laughing gas to calm himself down.
“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,” Harry wrote in his tell-all book.
“Meg was so calm. I was calm too.”
He added: “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.”
Harry then explained that a nurse tried giving his wife the gas for the pain, but he had already consumed it all.
“I could see the thought slowly dawning. Gracious, the husband’s had it all. ‘Sorry,” I said meekly.’”
Eventually, doctors decided to give Meghan an epidural to ease the pain.
“The anesthetist hurried in. Off went the music, on went the lights. Whoa. Vibe change.”
Though there was an initial worry that Archie had been tangled up in his umbilical cord, he emerged unharmed – reducing both Harry and Meghan to tears.
Lilibet’s birth – expert says naming her after late queen could be perceived as “disrespectful”
Archie was with his parents and grandmother, Doris Ragland, on what the Duke called the “Freedom Flight,” when the family left UK soil and royal life to create a new life in the US. After living briefly in Canada, the Sussexes finally settled in lavish Montecito, California, buying a $14 million mansion dubbed “Fort Knox.”
On Sunday, June 6, 2021, their family grew when Harry and Meghan announced the fantastic news that their daughter had arrived. She was named Lilibet, after the nickname bestowed upon her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The late monarch had called herself Lilibet as a toddler since she had trouble pronouncing her name.
While it was a wonderful tribute to Queen Elizabeth, royal expert and author Tom Quinn claimed that Harry knew naming their daughter Lilibet would be perceived by many as “disrespectful” to the late queen.
“Even naming this child sparked a diplomatic scuffle. Hating even to think about the admittedly labyrinthine rules of protocol that surrounded the British royal family, Meghan, and Harry called her Lilibet, apparently in the belief that it would be a wonderful surprise for her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth,” Quinn wrote in his book Gilded Youth An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family.
“That Harry did not have the sense to predict that this would cause trouble is beyond belief. He surely would have known that appropriating the monarch’s beloved childhood nickname would be perceived by many as disrespectful and intrusive in a way that naming their daughter Elizabeth would have not been.”
Quinn added: “The Queen may well have been upset that her grandson and his family laid claim to the intimate nickname that had always been very much part of the Queen’s private life, but it is perhaps more likely that the flunkeys who surround the monarch and some of the starchier older royals were irritated by what they saw as a presumption.”
Meghan Markle revealed she suffered a miscarriage
Around a year prior to Elizabeth’s birth, Harry and Meghan had gone through a traumatic experience. In 2020, Meghan fell pregnant again, though tragically lost the baby.
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 still remain. A source told OK! Magazine that Meghan is naturally feeling sadness this 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.
Archie is set to begin kindergarten in August, while Lilibet is getting ready for preschool. The Duchess will have more time to focus on her work, not least her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which was launched some months ago.
Meghan Markle is “sad” that her children are growing up, source claims
The source tells OK! Magazine that 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.
After their royal exit, Harry and Meghan have embarked on several business ventures. Not all of them have been successful, but recently they have taken on a sort of “royal” mission.
A few weeks ago, Harry and Meghan visited Nigeria on a three-day tour to promote the Invictus Games, and the reception was just as if they had been there on behalf of the Crown. Meanwhile, the Royal Family was said to have been furious about their visit, as it appeared as though they had undertaken a royal tour without permission, especially since they aren’t working royals anymore.
While Harry and Meghan enjoyed their trip, two people were missing. Archie and Lilibet stayed in the US, though reports suggest that the children could join their parents on future journeys abroad.
“Meghan doesn’t like being away from her children as she doesn’t want to miss a thing with them growing up so fast,” a source told OK!.
“With Lili turning three, it’s really got Meghan and Harry thinking about their future and how quickly the children are growing up. Meghan especially feels that her babies are no longer babies, and like most mums, it makes her slightly sad and wistful that the baby years have come to an end.”
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