The birth of Archie, the eldest child of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, was deemed a disaster for the press by a royal photographer.
Breaking with long-standing royal tradition, the Sussexes opted out of the customary photo shoot on the steps outside London's private Portland Hospital following Prince Archie's birth on May 6, 2019. It wasn't until two days later that photographers finally captured the first glimpse of the royal baby during a photo call at St George's Hall in Windsor Castle.
In an interview with The Sun's royal exclusive, British photographer Arthur Edwards, known for his decades-long work capturing the Royals, criticized Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for stage-managing their son's birth according to their preferences, rather than adhering to the postpartum tradition believed to have originated with Princess Anne in the 1980s. "The whole thing was just stage-managed to suit them," Edwards claimed.
The well-known Sun photographer suggested that the press were given incorrect information about when Markle had gone into labor and given birth. He sarcastically remarked, "How his baby Archie was almost teething before we found out he was born," in a conversation with host Matt Wilkinson. Edwards added that they were led to believe Markle had gone into labor at 2:00 AM, even though the baby had been born many hours earlier, and that they were misled about a planned home birth, which ultimately took place in a hospital.
According to Page Six, Markle had originally planned to give birth to Archie at their then UK home, Frogmore Cottage, with the help of an all-female midwife team. However, when her son was a week overdue, doctors advised the former Suits star to go to the hospital and deliver there.
Speculation about Archie and his sister Lilibet has been rampant on social media. Some have suggested that other mothers are lending their children for photo opportunities. A YouTube video, drawing over 77,000 views, suggested that Archie could actually be a lifelike doll. The Daily Empress YouTube channel posted a video titled "Meghan Markle's Fake Baby Exposed," which garnered tens of thousands of views in under four minutes. The channel presents the notion that baby Sussex is a doll, citing resemblances to doll-like features as evidence.
Another point of contention was that baby Archie appeared motionless in Prince Harry's arms during the photo op, leading some to conclude that it must be a fake baby. Many viewers echoed this sentiment, with one royal fan commenting that Harry was holding a doll during the photo op, and Meghan strategically positioned herself to obscure the baby's face from the camera. In response to such speculation, others noted stark differences between videos of the Waleses introducing their newborns and Meghan and Harry introducing Archie. Observers pointed out that the Wales babies were visibly active and the parents appeared relaxed, whereas Archie seemed inert, with Meghan showing discomfort and Harry holding him tightly.
Building on this observation, others remarked that newborns typically move and make noise, unlike the seemingly still Archie. Some even questioned the timing of Archie's birth, suspecting that Harry's comment in an interview indicated that Archie was actually two weeks old at the time of the introduction. During the interview, Harry's response to a question about Archie's appearance fueled speculation further. His diplomatic reply, suggesting that babies change rapidly and it's difficult to determine resemblance early on, was interpreted by some as a slip-up revealing Archie's true age.
