Meghan Markle has officially given birth to a baby boy! The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly due in late April, but like many first-time mothers' she apparently went into labor a bit past her due date. Here's everything we know about the future member of the Sussex family, from when and where the child may arrive to the plan for the baby’s first official photo.
It's a boy!
On Monday May 6, the Sussex Royal social media feeds shared the exciting news that Meghan and Harry welcomed their son early that morning.
The baby weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz. and apparently all went well. "The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well," reads the post, "and the couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives."
His Name Is Archie
The couple announced that they named their first born child Archie Harrison Mounbatten-Windsor in an Instagram post after they introduced him to his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth and great-grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday. Just hours before they posed for their first photos as a family at St George's Hall in Windsor.
See the first photos of the youngster right here.
Meghan went past her due date.
In the official pregnancy announcement this past October, Meghan and Harry shared that they are expecting their first child in the spring of 2019, and Meghan had already had her 12-week scan. Soon after, royal correspondents began speculating that her due date would be in March or April.
Later, during her visit to Birkenhead with Prince Harry in January, Meghan reportedly told one member of the crowd that she was six-months pregnant at the time and shared with another that she is due around April.
Harry and Meghan are choosing to keep their birth plans private, but the Palace confirmed this morning that the Duchess had gone into labor, and then shortly thereafter made the official announcement that she had delivered a boy.
Did they know the sex of their baby?
While on a visit to Birkenhead in January, Meghan reportedly said they're keeping the baby's gender a surprise. But in recent weeks, rumors have swirled that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do know the sex of their baby, they just aren't sharing the news publicly.
Citing "sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex" Elle reports that "Harry and Meghan have found out the sex of their newborn, but the couple has elected to keep it a surprise from the public."
Harry's brother Prince William, and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, were also famously quiet about the genders of all three of their children until Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and little Prince Louis each made their public debuts on the steps of the Lindo Wing.
The nursery has been thoughtfully decorated.
“According to sources who are helping with [their new home] renovations, the nursery itself is going to be very modern,” royal reporter Katie Nicholl told ET in January. “Don't expect to see any baby pink or baby blue. Apparently, it's going to be a monochrome palette—whites and grays, I'm told, will be the color theme for baby Sussex's nursery."
Harry and Meghan reportedly moved into their newly renovated home in Windsor earlier this month.
Where did Meghan deliver Baby Sussex?
The palace announced that the royal couple has “taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private.” Despite reports that the staff at the Lindo Wing—the maternity ward of a London hospital used by Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, and other royals—had been asked to not take vacation near Meghan’s due date, it now seems unlikely that she’s chosen the royal-preferred hospital.
There are even rumors that Meghan might have a home birth, although it’s also possible that she and Harry selected a different hospital. The Daily Mail recently reported that Meghan had declined to use the royal household’s gynecologist, and had instead found her own medical team, lead by a female doctor. (The royal gynecologists will still be on hand if anything goes wrong.)
But at this point, it's unlikely that we'll get clarity on where Meghan will deliver before the baby is born, if ever.
Will we get a photo of the baby in Meghan's arms?
Over the past few decades, it's become expected for royal babies to be photographed in their mothers' arms just hours after birth. But Meghan and Harry have decided not to do so.
When the palace released a statement noting that the birth plans would remain private, it also acknowledged that there wouldn’t be a photocall. “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,” the statement read. It’s understood that in the days following the birth, they will pose for a photo.
“It will probably be within a few days of the birth, but there is no time limit,” a source told Vanity Fair. “It will depend on how the birth goes and how the Duchess is feeling.
Bookies have been taking bets on the baby's name.
It what has become something of a British tradition, oddsmakers started placing their bets just after Meghan’s pregnancy was announced. As of now, Elizabeth is holding on as the crowd favorite on Ladbrokes with 6/1 odds, and there may be a special reason for that. In addition to the obvious—Queen Elizabeth II being Harry's grandmother—many suspect that the royal baby will be born in late April, and if he or she manages to come into the world on Easter this year, the child will share more than just blood with its regal great-grandmother: they will also share a birthday. Adding a first name to the list of things that the Queen would have in common with the infant would only make sense.
Of course, Elizabeth is far from the only name in the running. Diana, the name of Prince Harry's late mother, currently ranks high on most lists—it's the top pick on Betfair and holds second place on Ladbrokes with 8/1 odds. Likewise Victoria, an homage to Prince Harry's ancestor Queen Victoria, is also a top choice, along with Albert, the name of Queen Victoria's beloved husband.
Will the royal baby have a title?
Regardless of whether the baby is a boy or a girl, Prince Harry's child will be seventh in line to the throne, behind his or her father, and will remain ahead of any other children Harry and Meghan have in the future. But he or she might not be a prince or princess.
Due to a century-old rule regarding royal titles, if it's a boy, he will be styled as Earl of Dumbarton, and if it's a girl, she will be styled as a Lady similar to the way Lady Louise's title is currently styled. That is, unless the Queen steps in and gives the child another title.
