How Meghan went to hospital, delivered Archie and returned to Frogmore Cottage within two hours – without causing any suspicion

There was widespread confusion surrounding the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

And how the couple managed to keep his arrival private is revealed by Harry in his memoir Spare, which was re-released in paperback last month.

Because Meghan was a week past her due date in May 2019, the couple secretly visited Portland Hospital to “make sure nothing was wrong,” even though they were well prepared for Archie’s arrival.

“We got into an unmarked passenger vehicle and sneaked out of Frogmore without alerting any of the journalists stationed at the gate,” Harry writes.

Within two hours of the birth, the couple had returned to Frogmore Cottage without any suspicion.

Their doctor decided it was time to induce labor, and Meghan was given a can of nitrous oxide to ease the process.

Meanwhile, Harry, who had ordered Nando’s through his bodyguards, took a hit of the gas intended for his wife.

‘I took a number of slow, piercing blows. Meg bounced on a giant purple ball, a proven way to give nature a boost, then laughed and rolled her eyes.

“I took a few more hits and now I was bouncing too,” Harry reveals.

‘As her contractions started to get faster and deeper, a nurse came and tried to give Meg some laughing gas. There was nothing left. The nurse looked at the tank, looked at me, and I slowly saw the thought arise: Mercy, the man has had it all.’

Fortunately, the nurse saw the humor in the situation and replaced the canister for Meghan.

The Duchess sat in the bath and immersed herself in the soothing sounds of Deva Premal’s Sanskrit mantras, which had been remixed into hymns.

Harry set the mood by placing electric candles – the same ones he used during his proposal to Meghan – around the room.

Among the items in her overnight bag was a framed photo of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.

He noted in his memoir that this touching tribute was Meghan’s idea.

Despite Meghan’s attempts to breathe through the discomfort, the intensity became overwhelming and she eventually had to have two epidurals.

‘The anesthetist came in hastily. The music went off, the lights came on,” Harry wrote.

There was a brief moment of concern when it was discovered that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby, but shortly afterwards their healthy son was born.

Harry reflects on this experience in his book, offering an intimate glimpse into their journey through childbirth.

“A nurse swept the baby in a towel and placed him on Meg’s chest and we both cried to see him, to meet him,” he says.

‘Our Ayurvedic doctor had told us that in the first minute of life a baby absorbs everything that is said to him. So whisper to the baby, tell the baby your wish for him, your love. Narrate.

“We told you.”

Within two hours of Meghan giving birth, she and Harry had returned to Frogmore Cottage.

It was only at this point that it was announced that Meghan was going into labor, leading to a disagreement between the prince and his head of communications, Sara Latham.

‘I had an argument with Sara about that. You know she’s not in labor anymore, I said.

She explained that the press had to get the dramatic, suspenseful story they wanted.

“But it’s not true, I said.”

The couple’s quick return home and the timing of the announcement led to a lot of media attention and speculation surrounding Archie’s birth.

A few hours later, Harry spoke to reporters outside the Windsor stables to reveal his son’s name.

‘The newspapers were furious. They said we targeted them quickly,” he wrote.

“We did indeed.”