THE ANNOUNCEMENT of Archie’s birth was “staged to please Harry and Meghan”, according to a royal expert.
Speaking to The Sun’s Royal Exclusive programme, photographer Arthur Edwards MBE said he remembers taking excellent photos after the births of several other royal babies.
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But he told the show’s host Matt Wilkinson that on the big day in May 2019, the media was “led to believe” that Meghan had gone into labor at 2pm, when in fact the child had already been born. .
He said: “When the baby was born, when Archie was born, that was another, in my opinion, disaster – I knew we weren’t going to get a photo of [Archie].
“Everyone expected us to take photos.
“I mean, obviously, when William was born and Harry was born and George and Charlotte and Louis, we took some great pictures outside the hospital, I remember.
“And especially William and Catherine, they made a huge effort to show the world their new baby.
“Harry’s baby Archie was almost born before we found out he was born, you know.
“We were led to believe that she went into labor at two o’clock when the baby was born many hours earlier.
“We were led to believe that it would be a home birth and a hospital birth.
“The whole thing was just a stage to suit them up.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their son in May 2019 – just a year after tying the knot in their whirlwind romance.
Meghan initially wanted to give birth to Archie at Frogmore Cottage while being attended to by an all-female team of midwives.
But she was forced to go to the private Portland hospital in London to deliver the child, who weighed 7lb 3oz when she arrived on May 6, 2019.
Harry and Meghan have announced their first child’s name as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Biography Finding Freedom revealed how the couple shared the news with the delighted Royal Family – naturally telling Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip first.
The explosive book, released in 2020, then claimed the proud new parents shared the news with Harry’s father Prince Charles and brother Prince William – sending a photograph of the boy who became seventh in the line of succession to the throne.
Delighted, Meghan and Harry sent a message to the royal WhatsApp group exclusively for special cousins to share the news of baby Archie’s birth.
But the biography claims Meghan didn’t tell her father, Thomas Markle.
Archie’s birth and announcement
Meghan initially wanted to give birth to Archie at Frogmore Cottage while being attended to by an all-female team of midwives.
But her dreams of a home birth were dashed when she was forced to go to London’s private Portland hospital to give birth to the baby, who weighed 7lb 3oz when she arrived on May 6, 2019.
A source said Page six: “Meghan’s plan was to give birth at home with Archie, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans.
“In the end, her doctors advised her to go to the hospital and she was only interested in giving birth to Archie safely.”
Harry and Meghan declined to announce where or when Archie was born, but agreed to a photo shoot at Windsor Castle after his birth.
Queen Elizabeth II also wanted to officially announce Archie’s arrival with a note displayed on an easel in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace as a sign of her affection.
A beaming Harry told the press: “It was the most incredible experience I could have imagined.
“How any woman does what she does is beyond comprehension. But we are both absolutely thrilled.
“We are both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all of the love and support from everyone, it has been amazing so we just wanted to share this with everyone.”
Harry and Meghan have announced their first child’s name as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Archie, short for Archibald, is a name of German origin and means “bold or courageous”. Harrison is of English origin — and means “son of Harry”.
The hyphenated surname Mountbatten-Windsor follows a royal tradition established by the Queen to differentiate her direct descendants from the rest of the House of Windsor.
But the choice of Archie Harrison surprised royal watchers, with some expecting Harry to include Spencer as a nod to his mother Princess Diana’s maiden name.
The birth of baby Archie has been widely reported as one of the reasons the couple left the Royal Family – with Harry and Meghan wanting to protect their son from scrutiny and give him a normal life.
Even while they were part of the firm, Meghan ensured that Archie’s christening on July 6, 2019, was a “completely private affair” in the Queen’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, attended by just 22 guests.
Although she was attacked for breaking tradition and not allowing the media or public to see baby Archie on her special day, Meghan didn’t mind, according to Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.
Instead, it claimed that Meghan asked her mother, Doria Ragland, to text her 76-year-old father with news of her grandson.
Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand then reported that the duchess asked her mother not to tell her if her father, who lives in the United States, responded.
Edwards added that he was not staying in Windsor at the time.
He said: “There was a royal trip to Germany with the king and queen and I went with them and I couldn’t get out of Windsor fast enough.
“I remember showing Camilla, I think in Munich, the first pictures of Archie taken by the Press Association, showing it on my phone.
“And that was the first time she saw him, you know, so it was a tough time.
“I have to say, you know, that first year, Meghan, that working with her on the road, I mean, you know we traveled all over the country, she was amazing.
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“I was saying I thought she was a great asset to the family.
“I kept asking the palace if we could have a meeting with her – you know, the people who cover the royals, to have a meeting with Meghan like we did with Catherine.
“And you know, introduce ourselves and let her know who’s writing about her and photographing her.
“And I was sure it would happen, but it never did.
“And then pretty soon she decided they would go, and that was it.”
Edwards also mentioned the interview the pair did with Oprah Winfrey, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a series of shocking allegations.
The pair sparked a racial controversy when they claimed an unidentified member of the Royal Family spoke about “how dark his (Archie’s) skin might be when he’s born.”
During the Oprah interview, Meghan also said that she was prevented from seeking mental health support when she was in crisis.
Edwards said: “I knew the Queen would be seething, I knew the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles would be seething, it would be very unfair because one thing they are not is racist.
“I was with the King all over Africa, all over South America, I never saw him – I just got involved and enjoyed the company of these people.
“So, you know, there’s no way he would be like that. He’s just – it’s just an unfair thing to say.
“But, you know, she spoke like an actress did, and Oprah responded with ‘wow.’
“It was terrible.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
