The Royal Controversy Over Archie's Birth Was Bigger Than We Thought

It's no secret that Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex's pregnancy with her and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex's first child was fraught with controversy — and plenty of attention from around the globe. The happy couple announced the big news of their son's birth in a statement, which read, "Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born at 05:26 on Monday 6th May. He is the first child of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and is seventh in line to the throne. Archie weighed 7lb 3oz and The Duke of Sussex was present for the birth."

The royal family also shared photos of the then newest addition to the family, including a very sweet snap of the now late Queen Elizabeth II meeting her great-grandson for the first time alongside the Duchess of Sussex's mom, Doria Ragland. It also included snaps of the happy parents showing off their son (who is now sixth in line to the throne following the death of his great-grandmother) to the media for the first time, but it turns out that wasn't exactly something the new parents really wanted to participate in.

A bombshell new book is shedding some light on what was really going on inside the royal family around that time, lifting the lid on plenty of reported family drama.

Apparently, neither Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, nor Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, were all too interested in letting the media in on Archie Mountbatton Windsor's birth. Of course, there's a certain protocol when a royal baby is born, with Vogue Australia reporting royal babies are usually born at St. Mary's Hospital and the ruling monarch (then Queen Elizabeth II), is always first to know. As we saw with William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, it's common for the media to be alerted when the mom goes into labor and they then wait outside the hospital to see the proud parents leave with their newborn.

Royal expert Kinsey Schofield spoke to Fox News Digital about the poignant time in Harry and Megan's life though, claiming, "Meghan thought the entire ordeal was barbaric and did not want to participate." They even claimed she was against having Archie in the hospital because of all the attention, but was told she had no choice because she was having her first child a little later in life. As for Harry, Schofield claimed he was supposedly was "so unhappy with the drama that it took them days to come meet the baby." It's thought "them" is likely referring to his famous family members. "The palace felt like this was one of the first examples of the Sussexes distancing themselves and moving in an entirely different direction," Schofield shared.

Other royal experts also dished on what really went down around the time of Archie Mountbatton Windsor's birth, opening up about that time in royal history in the book "The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown." It's claimed, via a Page Six excerpt, that the royas were not happy with how secretive the couple were about the pregnancy, with Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English sharing, "Behind the scenes, matters were so fraught that more than one official... was reduced to tears of frustration and despair." When Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex did finally agree to meet with the press two days after his birth, it was claimed everything felt too staged.

This is hardly the first time questions have been asked about Archie's birth, though. In the 2020 book "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry — The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult," author Robert Lacey pointed out how the couple intentionally misled the press. "Harry and Meghan were resolute that their newborn baby's first sight of the world should not be the same insane and lethal camera-flashing that had attended — had actually brought about — the death of Diana," Lacey wrote, noting that Harry and Meghan did not make an announcement until they were already home, which supposedly angered Harry's brother, William, Prince of Wales.

The fact that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry weren't willing to spill every detail on the pregnancy and subsequent birth probably wasn't much of a surprise, though. As royal watchers may remember, the couple made it very clear shortly before Archie Mountbatton Windsor's birth that 100% transparency with the world wasn't exactly what they were aiming for. "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," an April 2019 statement from Kensington Palace read.

Of course, since then, they've also welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born in June 2021. The family had already moved to California by the time Lilibet was born and were no longer full-time working members of the royal family, so her birth was kept even more private than her brother's. Buckingham Palace announced the news of her birth (which happened in a Santa Barbara hospital), saying in a statement that mom and daughter were both home and doing well, adding, per BBC News, "The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news."