‘This little thing is absolutely to die for!’
Harry’s delight after arrival of 7lb 3oz boy Hospital delivery dashes Meghan’s home birth dream
Prince Harry could not hide his joy yesterday as he announced the arrival of an ‘amazing’ baby son.
A picture of pride, the prince said the newborn was ‘absolutely to die for’ and he and wife Meghan were ‘absolutely thrilled’. She had hoped to have a home birth at Frogmore Cottage, their Windsor home.
However the Mail can reveal that the 37-year- old duchess was taken to an exclusive London hospital – thought to be the Portland – and gave birth to a 7lb 3oz boy at 5.26am yesterday. The couple had been driven to the hospital on Sunday afternoon with Doria, Meghan’s mother, said to be with them.
Within hours of the dawn birth they were back at Frogmore where Harry, 34, gave an impromptu press conference to break the news to the world. He confessed he had snatched only a couple of hours of sleep, adding with a broad grin: ‘This little thing is absolutely to die for, so I’m over the moon.’
Confusingly, Buckingham Palace said Meghan had gone into labour several hours after the baby had actually been born. The official announcement of the
birth came shortly after 2.30pm yesterday. Baby Sussex, as the new arrival has been dubbed until he is formally given a name, is the Queen’s eighth great grandchild and seventh in line to the throne.
He is also the first mixed-race baby to be born to a senior royal.
As the Queen and other senior royals expressed their delight:
Harry used the palace’s formal announcement to pay a touching tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, by including her surviving family in the message – they were also among the first to know;
Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, was by her side as the new family enjoyed their first, precious few hours together at Windsor;
The duchess’s estranged father Thomas Markle learnt the news through the media but, in a conciliatory statement, told of his pride;
It emerged that the newest addition to the Windsor dynasty may not be given a royal title;
Baby Sussex will be the first senior royal to have the right to dual UK-US citizenship;
Harry said the baby was a few days overdue and he and Meghan had spent that extra time discussing possible names;
Although tradition was maintained by Buckingham Palace erecting an easel containing details of the birth, Harry and Meghan put their official announcement out first on Instagram;
Michelle Obama led the global tributes – in another signal of the couple’s wide appeal and their son’s American heritage.
Standing in the Queen’s stables at Windsor Castle yesterday lunchtime, the casually dressed prince, who had once despaired of finding lasting love let alone of becoming a father, radiated an infectious excitement, laughing and smiling as he paid tribute to his wife.
‘I’m very excited to announce that Meghan and myself had a baby boy earlier this morning, a very healthy boy,’ he said. ‘Mother and baby are doing incredibly well. It’s been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined.
‘How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension but we’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful to all the love and support from everybody out there. It’s been amazing so we just wanted to share this with everybody.’
He confirmed he had been at his wife’s side during the birth and was clearly moved by the experience.
‘I haven’t been at many births, this is definitely my first,’ he joked. ‘It was amazing, absolutely incredible and, as I said, I’m so incredibly proud of my wife. As every father and parent will ever say, you know, your baby is absolutely amazing, but this little thing is absolutely to die for – so I’m just over the moon.’
He said he and his wife were still thinking about names: ‘The baby is a little bit overdue so we’ve had a little bit of time to think about it. That’s the next bit.’
At around the same time, Buckingham Palace said in a statement: ‘Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex, was safely delivered of a son at 0526hrs. The baby weighs ghs 7lb 3oz. The Duke of Sussex was present for the birth.
‘The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, dinthe the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah arah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer ncer have been informed and are delighted with the news.
‘The Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, who is overjoyed by y the arrival of her first grandchild, ld, is with their royal highnesses at Froghness Frogmore Cottage. Her royal highness and her child are both doing well.’
Harry and Meghan also thanked nked the public for their ‘support and kindness during this exceptionally nally joyful time in their lives’ on their Instagram site. A palace aide said William and Kate were itching ng to see their new nephew.
Michelle Obama, the former fi first t lady, tweeted: ‘Congratulations, Meghan and Harry! Barack and I are so thrilled for both of you and can’t wait to meet him.’
The newborn is by no means sure to receive a title, nor will he be a prince. George V limited the use of the title ‘His Royal Highness’ in 1917, although Harry’s son could theoretically be made prince when Charles becomes king, as the child of a son of a sovereign.
If the couple do decide to allow him to use a courtesy title, it will most likely be that of the Earl of Dumbarton, one of Harry’s lesser honours. The prince was granted this title by the Queen on the morning of his wedding last year.
Sources have suggested the couple may choose to reject any kind of title though, effectively making their son a private citizen.
The most amazing experience I could have ever possibly imagined
AS with any first-time father, Prince Harry’s face was a touching combination of bleary fatigue, bursting pride and pure, unalloyed joy yesterday.
Long hours supporting his wife through labour had left his eyelids heavy. But there was no mistaking the elation in his milewide grin.
It’s a delight the whole nation shares. At a time when we are beset by crisis, a new royal baby gives us a chance to park our problems for a while and talk about something other than Brexit follies and fears of global catastrophe.
And it shows once again how the simple joy of birth can transcend petty troubles and illuminate lives.
But this baby is special for other reasons. As a mixed-race child, he embodies the rich diversity of modern Britain. And he reinforces the relevance of the monarchy in the rapidly shifting tectonics of our multicultural age.
Prince Harry has always been much loved. Traumatised by the untimely death of his mother and sometimes too easily led astray, he was loved in his youth despite – perhaps even because of – all his flaws.
With the passing of the years he has grown into a thoughtful, engaging, conscientious young man.
He has a gift for communicating with people from all walks of life, he served his country with distinction in the armed services, and in his charitable work – especially on behalf of wounded veterans – has shown a passion and energy which would have made his mother immensely proud.
But in his choice of bride (with whom he is so obviously besotted) he achieved something else. He helped propel the Royal Family into the 21st century.
Just two decades ago, the monarchy was struggling for its very survival. Profoundly damaged by lurid tales of adultery and marital cruelty, messy divorces and the perceived lack of emotional response from Buckingham Palace to Diana’s death, the family seemed dusty, out of date and out of touch. Public esteem fell to an historic low, with only the Queen retaining any semblance of popularity.
The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton – a smart, vivacious commoner from a solidly middle-class family – began the process of rehabilitation. Harry’s marriage to Meghan and the arrival of their first-born have comprehensively sealed it.
A glamorous divorcee of mixed heritage, the Duchess of Sussex personifies the monarchy’s transition to a truly contemporary institution – outwardlooking and at ease with itself.
With her Hollywood background, striking beauty and A-list friends, she has sprinkled a little stardust on the life of the nation.
Describing herself as a ‘proud woman and feminist’, she is thoroughly modern, with strong opinions and a determination to do things her own way.
But there is a difference between royalty and mere celebrity. Royals must be ever conscious of their public role, commit themselves to duty and diplomacy and conduct themselves with discretion. If Meghan needs guidance, she should seek counsel from the Queen, the greatest royal diplomat of them all.
The monarchy has been a golden thread running through British history for nearly a millennium (indeed the new baby can trace his lineage directly back to William the Conqueror).
It has suffered invasion, insurgency, civil war, regicide and even temporary abolition, yet survived to tell the tale. Down all the centuries, it has adapted to seismic events with remarkable success.
Harry and his son are highly unlikely ever to ascend the throne, nor Meghan to be queen. But they will nevertheless be a vital part of the monarchy’s future.
The Mail has every confidence they will do their illustrious family proud.