Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first child, son Prince Archie, on May 6 2019, but one royal photographer has said the birth was a ‘disaster’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided not to involve the press in the birth of their son, something one royal photographer has described as a “disaster”.

The couple became parents for the first time on May 6 2019 when Meghan gave birth to Prince Archie at the Portland Hospital in Westminster. However, the couple broke Royal Family tradition as they decided not to pose for pictures on the steps of the hospital.

Photographer Arthur Edwards has criticised the decision and said Meghan and Harry “stage managed” the event. He explained: “When the baby was born, when Archie was born, that was another, in my view, disaster – I knew we were not going to get a picture of [Archie]. Everybody was hoping we would get pictures.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry showed off their son at Windsor Castle ( 
Image:
PA)
Speaking on the Royal Exclusive show, he added: “We were led to believe that she had gone into labour at two o’clock, when the baby had been born many hours earlier. We were led to believe it was going to be a home birth and it was in a hospital.

“The whole thing was just stage managed to suit them.” Arthur pointed out how it was very different to when the Princess of Wales gave birth, who was pictured outside the hospital with her first child Prince George just hours after giving birth.

Meghan has previously revealed why she didn’t pose for pictures on the hospital steps with Archie. Speaking on her and Harry’s Netflix docuseries, she said: “There was already the pressure of the picture with Archie on the steps.

Archie was born on May 6 2019 ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Are they going to do that or are they not? But I had been really worried going into that labour because I am older and I didn’t know if I would have to have a C-section.”

She added: “I had a very long-standing relationship with my doctor and that is who I trusted with my pregnancy. And they said, ‘Right, but she is at Portland Hospital and the steps are at this hospital (the Lindo Wing)’. And I said, ‘OK, we could do a photo call in front of Portland Hospital’.

“They said it is impossible. We couldn’t barricade the streets off and it would create a threat for the emergency room entrance because that is where you would have to do this picture.”

Instead, Meghan said she and the palace came up with an alternative plan to have pictures taken at Windsor Castle instead. She added: “It was like, ‘Yes, yes, oh great, yes.’ At no point did someone go, ‘Absolutely not’.”