Harry reveals how Meghan Markle secretly delivered Archie and returned to Frogmore Cottage within 2 hours

LONDON, ENGLAND: The arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on May 6, 2019, caused a great deal of confusion.

There was a great deal of celebration and excitement when it was revealed that the couple became delighted parents of a son. However, a highly perplexing birth announcement also left royal observers with several unanswered questions.

Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare', which was re-released in paperback in October, revealed how the pair was able to keep Prince Archie of Sussex's arrival a secret.

How Meghan and Harry's son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor came into the world

Harry's book offers a personal look inside their childbirth journey as he reflects on this experience.

Although they were ready for Archie's arrival, the couple discreetly went to the Portland Hospital in May 2019 because Meghan was a week past her due date to "make sure nothing's wrong."

Harry wrote in his tell-all memoir, "We got into a nondescript people-carrier and crept away from Frogmore without alerting any of the journalists stationed at the gates."

The couple returned to Frogmore Cottage within two hours of the delivery, raising no red flags, reported Daily Mail.

Meghan received a vial of laughing gas to assist in smoothing the procedure after their doctor determined it was time to induce labor.

"I took several slow, penetrating hits. Meg, bouncing on a giant purple ball, a proven way of giving nature a push, laughed and rolled her eyes," Harry wrote.

Eventually, the Duchess took a seat in the bathtub and let herself be carried away by the soothing sounds of hymns composed from Deva Premal's Sanskrit mantras.

However, there was a brief moment of panic when the umbilical cord was found to be wrapped around the infant but their son was born healthy.

Meghan and Harry returned to Frogmore Cottage within two hours of son Archie's birth

After Meghan Markle gave birth to her son Archie, she and Prince Harry were back at Frogmore Cottage within two hours. Only then was it announced that she was going into labor, which caused a rift between the Prince and his communications chief, Sara Latham.

Significant media attention and conjecture around Archie's birth were generated by the couple's quick return home and the timing of the announcement.

Harry wrote in his book, "I had a tiff with Sara about that. You know she's not in labor anymore, I said. She explained that the Press must be given the dramatic, suspenseful story they demanded. But it's not true, I said."

Harry announced his son's name to reporters outside Windsor's stables a few hours later. The next day, Buckingham Palace made the customary announcement of Archie's birth.

Confusion over the birth of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor

According to a 2020 story, a statement from Buckingham Palace confirmed that Meghan Markle had given birth "in the early hours of the morning" in the afternoon. A second announcement, however, claimed that Meghan gave birth to a son at 5:26 am that same morning.

Despite Meghan having already given delivery, the two announcements were sent out less than 20 minutes apart, reported Hello! Magazine.

Meghan gave birth to her son at The Portland Hospital in London, the same facility where Sarah Ferguson gave birth to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, despite speculations that she intended a home delivery in Windsor.

Although Prince Harry and Meghan decided not to share any information personally, Archie's birth certificate, which is a public record, later revealed plenty of information.

It was later disclosed that the couple was taken to London by their security detail on a Sunday night and spent the night at the hospital until their son was born at 5.26 am.

Later that same day, the couple brought their new baby back to Frogmore House, where a happy Prince Harry later confirmed the baby's gender to the media.

A framed birth announcement was put on exhibit on a ceremonial easel in the Buckingham Palace forecourt, where it stayed until 8 pm on the next Monday.

Meghan and Harry joyously introduced their son Archie in Windsor Castle's St George's Hall on May 8, 2019, two days after his birth.