Our favourite Meghan Markle pregnancy photos after royal opens up over Archie and Lilibet
The Duchess of Sussex shared never-before-seen snaps in her Netflix docuseries with Prince HarryMeghan Markle has opened up about her pregnancy with both Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet over recent years, while sharing intimate photos as she and Harry expected their son and daughter.
The Duchess of Sussex was pregnant with her son when she was a working royal in The Firm. However, it was during this time that the couple struggled with the attention they received online. The duo even opened up about it with Oprah Winfrey and their own Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. When they were expecting daughter Lilibet, they had settled in Montecito, California.
We take a look back at what Meghan Markle has shared about her pregnancy journeys with Archie and Lilibet, and our favourite photos.
‘Couldn’t contain their excitement’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were over the moon to be expecting their first child, and announced the news to the royal family during Princess Eugenie’s wedding on October 12, 2018.
Harry revealed this detail in his memoir Spare, after explaining they wanted to start a family once they were married.
It was also during their first official royal tour as a married couple, and they were in Australia.
Harry praised his wife Meghan Markle for managing her early pregnancy while conducting royal duties, with appearances, photos and crowds following them across Australia, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand.
Read more: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s surname drama explained and how royal family would take ‘action’
Baby shower caused a stir
During their Netflix series, Meghan Markle spoke of the backlash to her baby shower for Archie, as photographers stationed themselves outside hoping to get new photos of the royal during her pregnancy.
The event, hosted in New York, was planned by her close friends. While estimates believed it came with a six-figure price tag, the royal herself said her friends paid for it and not the UK taxpayer.
The celebrity guest list included Serena Williams, Amal Clooney and her pal from Suits Abigail Spencer.
Meghan cradling her bump as she smiled from ear-to-ear was a highlight of the bash.
Meghan Markle’s pregnancy photos with Prince Archie
The royal recently revealed she gained 65lbs during her two pregnancies with her children on her podcast Confessions of a Female podcast.
She said her friend pointed out Meghan Markle would wear ‘five-inch’ stilettos during her pregnancy, and that her “tiny little ankles” braced themselves with her “enormous bump”.
Prince Archie was born on May 6, 2019, at the Portland Hospital in London. Unlike other royal births before him, there was no immediate photo call at the steps of the hospital, instead, Harry and Meghan introduced their son two days later at Windsor Castle.
On Archie’s birth certificate, the royal’s name was listed as ‘Rachel Meghan’ but was changed a month later to ‘Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.
He is currently seventh in line to the British throne.
Royal struggled while carrying her first child
During her 2021 interview with Oprah, she candidly opened up about having suicidal thoughts when carrying her first child.
The explosive tell-all chat came a year after the Sussexes quit royal life.
The 43-year-old recently hoped her speaking out about how she was feeling helped someone else in a similar position.
“If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them, and not assume that the appearance is good so everything’s OK, then that’s worth it,” she said.
“I’ll take a hit for that.”
But she struggled to discuss it with her husband Prince Harry.
“I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry, especially, because I know how much loss he’s suffered.
“But I knew that if I didn’t say it, I would do it. I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
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Meghan Markle’s friend took her pregnancy announcement photos while she carried Lilibet
On Valentine’s Day 2021, the couple shared the family of three would expand with another addition – Princess Lilibet Diana.
“We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother,” the couple said at the time. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”
They were on a Zoom call with close friend and photographer Misan Harriman.
He said during an interview about the topic: “My most well-known virtual shoot is a portrait I took of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announcing their pregnancy. It’s a very joyous image. The technology allows you to take over a phone or an iPad, and they can hear my voice, and I can still press the shutter and compose with ease. It’s extraordinary what you can do with technology.”
However, drama ensued when reports claimed the snapper had ‘admitted’ to doctoring the portrait of the couple, but he was quick to deny the allegations.
Intimate moments during Netflix series
As the world was in lockdown due to Covid-19, we didn’t get to see as many photos of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry while she enjoyed her pregnancy with Lilibet.
Their bombshell Oprah interview came just weeks later the announcement, so we did see the Duchess with a small bump.
However, in their 2022 Netflix series, we saw clips of the couple at home after they invited cameras into their Montecito mansion.
This included the tragedy of Prince Philip – Harry’s grandfather – when he passed away in April of 2021. Meghan is helping her husband book a flight while following strict Covid restrictions at home and overseas. In another, we see her planning an Easter egg hunt for little Archie while heavily pregnant.
Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on June 4, 2021.
Read more: When Harry met Meghan – How a royal prince kept his romance ‘secret’
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