No surprise, People Magazine put the Duchess of Sussex and the birth of Polo Baby on this week’s cover. They don’t have any kind of scoop, just as they’ve never had any kind of scoops on the births of the Cambridge children, but it’s just nice that People Mag devoted a cover to the Sussexes, I think. It’s big news! Here’s what sources did have to say:
Meg and Harry weren’t anxious: “They weren’t anxious at all,” says Meghan’s friend and wedding makeup artist Daniel Martin, who visited the couple’s Frogmore Cottage home in the weeks ahead of their new son’s May 6 birth. “They were hanging out in their backyard, cooking, just going about their daily lives. They’re both very calming personalities. There was no pressure. They were just like, ‘The baby will come when it’s ready.’ ”
They want more kids: “They definitely want to,” a source says. “Meghan has talked about having one more.”
They love Frogmore Cottage: “There’s so much space for them to be able to take walks with the baby and their dogs and not feel like they are being preyed upon — that was the big thing. Meghan’s so happy there compared to Kensington Palace. It’s like night and day.”
I think they probably are happy to be in Frogmore right now, when they want privacy, when they want some space to grow. But I still say that eventually – like, within the next year – they’ll request and be given a larger space in one of the palaces in London. Maybe Kensington Palace, maybe St. James’s Palace, maybe Clarence House. Prince Charles operates out of both SJP and CH – he lives in Clarence House, but most of his office staff works out of SJP, and that’s where he hosts events too. Back in the day, William and Harry both had small apartments within SJP, I believe. I wonder about the long-term scheme to have the Sussexes in Windsor, I really do.
As for Meghan and Harry wanting more kids… by all accounts, her pregnancy was a breeze and the delivery seemed uncomplicated. I think they’ll probably try for a second child next year. Speaking of the uncomplicated delivery, royal reporters were going back and forth most of Monday and Tuesday about whether Meghan had a home birth or not. The Daily Mail finally settled on the idea that Meghan was taken to a London hospital, probably the Portland, and senior royals weren’t even informed when she first checked into the hospital. The DM doesn’t have much besides “sources confirmed to the Mail that a hospital delivery had taken place.” I tend to believe she probably did go to a hospital and she wanted to get out of there pretty quickly. My guess is that they made the birth announcement when they had already settled back at home.
Here are some photos of delighted Prince Harry practically vibrating with excitement about his newborn son.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, cover courtesy of People.
Okay, so I don’t buy into the “it was chaotic and they lied!!!” thing that was discussed yesterday, but I was just reading something on twitter about how Sara Lantham was blaming a tech failure for the way the news was announced. It’s confusing to me because of the time difference. But the one thing that was clear (to me) was that “senior royals” were informed around 6 or 630 am, which was after she had the baby but I cant imagine they were going to wake the queen to tell her the news. And to me, as long as the senior royals knew, then everything else was probably roughly approved (announcing the labor, then the birth).
Sara said there was an 1 hour delay in emails, but reporters were told 4 hours after she delivered that she went into labor. For all her credentials, Saras excuse still is bad. A more honest “they requested a delay until they were home safe because they were at a hospital instead of the original home plan” would be understandable. An hour delay on emails makes no sense.
Yeah, the excuse is what strikes me as weird. Just say that they wanted to make sure they were home safe (to avoid a media circus, if nothing else) before announcing anything. Blaming it on email issues is kind of weird.
(for the record I don’t care that there was a delay, I think overall the Sussexes handled this whole thing pretty well, but I am scratching my head at the rationale/excuse.)
It doesn’t matter, but they might want to rethink their communications team. The communications team has had a few missteps. The page they created for Archie said his parents were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and to add to all the comments they added the Duke of Sussex was present at the birth. It was a pretty funny mistake, although I bet some on here are going to think it’s William’s fault somehow. This plus the timing of the labor announcements after his birth, when they promised the press otherwise, and apparently there was some mishap with where the picture of the baby were going to be and part of the Sussexes Communication team was running out of a television shot as they were in the wrong place. Just saying not sure hiring a political communications person may have been the best idea.
Maybe this was payback for all those stupid stories about Meghan getting up too early – here’s your birth announcement 6 hours after the fact! Lol.
What does it matter at this point? It’s over…it’s done. I guess this will never die and be discussed ad nauseam just like the cost of the engagement dress, the 5 a.m. emails.
It really doesnt matter.
The mother and baby are healthy that is the only think that matters.
The issue was that the baby was born around 5:30am but it wasn’t announced publicly until 2pm that she was even in labor. I think they had planned on announcing she was in labor earlier and the 2pm announcement was supposed to be about the baby being a boy and such.
I think the mistake was assuring the press that they would be told when she went into labor. I think there is too much risk of false labor, labor during the night when the press offices aren’t fully staffed, etc. They had announced they were doing it privately, so they should have stuck with that.
I don’t think it really matters though. People would find something to criticize either way.
Sara is being paid a lot and nothing has changed under her guard. If anything shes adding to it with a terrible explanation. It’s very obvious they didn’t want to announce until they were home. That should have been stated from beginning. Why blame it on an email delay? She’s been doing this job for decades? I mean if this is her A-game, and used this level of terrible on the Hillary campaign… imagine if they got someone different, who could actually tell time, maybe we’d have a better result.
@Eliza, why all the heat? You know about the baby, did you need to know about the contractions and the pushing too? When they started? How far apart? I personally think the whole thing was stupid, just say when the baby was born, hurrah, hurrah! But all this vitriol about “They didn’t announce!” “There was a delay!” is unseemly and unnecessary.
I don’t think that there was any mistake. I believe that she was going to have the baby in hospital all along but someone put out the rumour of a home birth to put people off the scent, so that the media did not stake out potential hospitals.
Very happy that the media were wrong footed!
I can see them having another one fairly quickly, as she’s in her late thirties. They seem really good for each other and Harry seems so happy.
I think by early next year they will try again.
Give the body a chance to recover.
A childhood friend just gave birth a couple of months ago and her older child isn’t yet two. I don’t know how she did it! Late 30s and no time to waste, I suppose. I’m in awe of her.
I can def them trying for a girl.
They’ve just done the press conference and OMG he is soo cute. I think the dress Meghan was wearing was a repeat, she looked great. A reported referred to him as Baby Sussex and they both laughed – I wonder when we will get a name.
Probably later today. They were bringing him in to meet the Queen.
baby pics are out and he’s a thing of beauty. Truly adorable.
Awwww, bless them. Meghan looks tired which is understandable, I think I look like that after the first few days when I gave birth although Meghan looks so much better than I was but they are both beaming with joy and pride.
Meghan looks like a woman who had a baby on Monday! Tired and happy.
News.com.au is reporting the Portland Hospital story as fact out here. *rolls eyes*
I hope they name him James. Fun fact, I share a birthday with Harry, September 15th, & baby boy Sussex shares a birthday with my first born son, May 6th. We are practically related. Ha!
Edward’s son is named James so no.
Congratulations to the Sussex family!!!
I bet they delayed announcing til they got home because they didn’t want press swarming on all the hospitals trying to figure out which one they were at and then trying to sneak a photo as they leave. This makes perfect sense to me, and if I were a patient or employee at any of the area hospitals I’d appreciate it. I don’t think waiting on the news by several hours is a big deal, but of course I’m not British. They seem so happy and the baby is so cute, I just think it’s all great.
I agree, and this is what makes me think that they had planned on trying for a home birth. I think that when they realized the issues that could be caused with the press knowing she was in labour but not knowing where she was they had to change courses. With Kate, they knew where she was and had a designated place where they were allowed to be, which allowed for more control. Here, there wouldn’t have been any control as the press tried desperately to find a scoop. I think I recall with Kate as well that they said that if something happened overnight it would be announced in the morning (could be wrong, that’s my vague memory).
I don’t think they did this maliciously, they just hadn’t completely thought it through when they made the initial announcement. They tried to keep true to their initial promises to the press, but it didn’t quite go as planned. I don’t think it matters much, but I think they would have been better off doing one announcement saying that she went into labour overnight and baby was born at 5am rather than doing the (past tense, so technically accurate) labour announcement after the baby was already born.
I didn’t want visitors when I was laboring, not even my own mother. LOL I had a strict policy of ‘nobody besides nurses, doctors and my husband’. Everyone is different. I didn’t want an audience, and wanted to be with my husband. Some people have a party in the room, not for me, but you do you! Ha!
There were obvious security issues and they didn’t want a single hiccup! Good for them for doing what they wanted to make sure everyone was safe. People are crazy and I don’t blame them. I remember how nervous we were driving home and we are a few minutes from the hospital, let alone worrying about paps swarming.
I have so much praise for them doing this quietly. I wish they never promised to let the press know she was in labor. That was the big faux pas to me.
I would imagine the secrecy was to avoid the fiasco of people constantly calling the Lido wing and disturbing the staff who should have been caring for patients. And the situation with that poor nurse who killed herself when she received that prank call when Kate had her baby. The way it went down, it avoided disrupting the service at whichever hospital they visited.
My mother’s nurse said ‘Fancy not having the baby at the Lindo Wing like everybody else’. Competent at her job but of limited intelligence. I cannot imagine how awful it would be with baying ‘Royal fans’ camped out for weeks or days or the slavering Press Pack flashing bulbs and shouting questions. As for ‘tradition’ it isn’t and was begun by Diana. Meghan and Harry with their baby looked lovely. I wish them love and luck.