Pregnant and protective: 5 ways Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have shielded son Archie from the spotlight– from moving to California to not sharing photos on social media

Feb 16 , 2021

Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with heir son Archie in South Africa in September 2019. The couple decided to give up their status as senior royals for his sake. Photo: Reuters

While announcing they are expecting another child the Duke and Duchess of Sussex offered no pics, though Archie has been heard on their Archewell Audio podcast

During the pandemic Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and the rest of the royals have kept up via video calls

In January 2020, Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry decided to go it alone, leaving the UK and stepping back from their senior royal roles to create a quieter family life for their son Archie in the US, in Meghan’s home state of California.

It’s the biggest step the couple have taken to try and ensure what they feel is a better life for their son. And now news has broken that 21-month-old Archie will soon have a little brother or sister to compete with for attention, what else have the Duke and Duchess of Sussex done to help their little boy reach his full potential?

Announcing Archie’s younger brother or sister

On February 14, the couple revealed that Meghan was expecting again – exactly 37 years since it was revealed that Prince Harry’s mother Princess Diana was pregnant with him. “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother,” a spokesperson for the couple said in a statement. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.” Even though the focus of the statement was on their son, the couple chose not to share a snap featuring the young royal, nor did they state the sex of the baby.

Instead of making a huge spectacle of the happy news by calling in an array of photographers or posing up for a glamorous shoot, the two appeared in an understated black-and-white image that displays their joy (and Meghan’s baby bump) but strips back on Hollywood gloss.

Christmas greetings

At Christmas 2019, when they were still senior royals, Meghan and Harry appeared in a card with their baby boy. But true to their word to take a step back from the limelight for the sake of their child, the following year’s card only showed an illustration of Archie. In the snap we can see how much he has grown a year later but the pair only give us a hint of what he looks like now.