The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have extricated themselves from the fishbowl of the royal institution, seizing back the reins of their public voice and image in the process.
Nowhere is this shift more evident than in the way the couple has approached the impending arrival of their second child.
On Valentine’s Day, Harry and Meghan announced they were expecting their second child by releasing a portrait, captured at home by their friend Misan Harriman, and a short statement via a spokesperson.
“We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child,” it read.
It was a markedly different reveal to when Meghan’s first pregnancy was confirmed to the public in October 2018.
Then, the news was heralded with an official palace statement — which came on the eve of the Sussexes’ Royal Tour of Australia — revealing baby Sussex was due in Spring 2019.
At that time, Meghan was in the early stages of her pregnancy, and 9Honey royal commentator Victoria Arbiter suggests the announcement came earlier than, perhaps, the couple would have liked.
This time around, the couple took the announcement into their own hands, deciding to hold off until the duchess was further along in her pregnancy.
Perhaps this decision was linked to the couple’s experience of pregnancy loss in 2020, which Meghan revealed in a New York Times opinion piece. Or, perhaps they simply didn’t see it necessary to share the news so early on.
The couple has spoken regularly about their desire for more privacy and control over what aspects of their personal life, including their family, they make public.
While their statement didn’t reveal when the baby is due, Harry and Meghan opted to share that information more personally, during their interview with Oprah.
The duchess told Oprah she was due in the northern hemisphere summer — speculation points to July as a likely month — and, along with Harry, revealed the baby is a girl.
“We’ve got our family, the four of us and the two dogs, and it’s great,” he said. “Two [children] is it,” Meghan added.
The announcement isn’t the only way Meghan and Harry have approached this pregnancy differently to when they were working royals.