Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have dedicated themselves to raising their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The couple welcomed their first child while they were still active members of the Royal Family. However, by the time Lilibet was born, they had already stepped away from the Firm for over a year.

Archie and Lilibet likely remain unaware of their parents’ estrangement from the royal family and may not fully understand it for years. Sadly, this situation could impact them in the future, as they currently lack connections with their royal cousins and other relatives.

While Prince William and Kate Middleton have three children, Harry and Meghan might have had the same number if not for a heartbreaking miscarriage. As Archie and Lilibet continue to grow, the question arises: could the Sussexes consider having a third child? Let’s explore what Harry and Meghan have shared about this possibility.

After leaving the royal family, Harry and Meghan relocated to the US to lead a more private life and provide their children with a different upbringing compared to life within the palace. They sought an alternative future for their son, Archie, and later for their daughter, Lilibet, who was born in America.

There were indications that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn’t want to do things the rest of the Royal Family was accustomed to doing even before Archie was born. Meghan’s mother had come in from the United States to stay with the couple at Frogmore Cottage at Windsor prior to Archie’s birth.

Archie, Harry and Meghan’s son, was born in London’s The Portland Hospital on May 6, 2019. Although the birth of any royal child is always a momentous occasion, Harry and Meghan chose to take a different tack.

According to Nicholl’s book The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, Harry is “almost morbidly obsessed” with keeping Archie’s birth as secret as ever.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s children Archie & Lilibet

While millions of royal fans and members of the public were eager to learn more about the little boy, the desire for privacy clashed with what some saw as the “unwritten contract between the royals and the public.”

“Behind the scenes, matters were so fraught that more than one official — as I know from personal experience — was reduced to tears of frustration and despair,” shared Rebecca English, the royal editor of the Daily Mail.

Unlike Prince William and Kate Middleton, Harry and Meghan wanted to avoid the public spectacle that often accompanies the birth of royal children. Typically, senior royals pose for photos outside the hospital with their newborns. However, the Sussexes had no intention of following this tradition.

While Prince William, Harry, and William’s children were all born at St Mary’s Hospital, where their first official baby photos were taken, Meghan chose Portland Hospital instead. This decision was influenced by her doctor’s affiliation and the hospital’s layout, which was deemed safer and less conducive to photo opportunities.

“Harry had always enjoyed outfoxing the media,” royal author Katie Nicholl noted in The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown.

“He and Meghan were thrilled to be safely delivered of their son in London’s private Portland hospital even before the palace press office had confirmed the duchess was in labor.”

Prince Harry ate chicken while Meghan was in labor

The Duke chose to reveal some information on the day of the birth of their first son, despite Harry and Meghan’s desire to keep as much of Archie’s birth as possible private. Harry recounted in Spare the remarkable incident at Portland Hospital where he chose to use laughing gas to relax.

In his tell-all book, Harry described two methods he found to stay calm during the intense moments: “One: Nando’s chicken (brought by our bodyguards). Two: A canister of laughing gas beside Meg’s bed. I took several slow, penetrating hits,” he shared.

He continued, “Meg was so calm. I was calm too,” and added, “Meg, bouncing on a giant purple ball, a proven way of giving nature a push, laughed and rolled her eyes. I took several more hits, and now I was bouncing too.”

Harry also revealed that when a nurse attempted to offer Meghan the gas to help with her pain, it had already been used up. “I could see the thought slowly dawning. Gracious, the husband’s had it all. ‘Sorry,’ I said meekly.”

Eventually, the medical team opted to administer an epidural to Meghan to alleviate her discomfort.

“The anesthetist hurried in. Off went the music, on went the lights. Whoa. Vibe change,” he recalled.

Although there was a momentary concern that Archie might be entangled in his umbilical cord, he was delivered safely, bringing Harry and Meghan to tears of relief.

The naming of Princess Lilibet caused debate.

When Prince Archie was only a year old, his parents made the decision to permanently depart from the Royal Family and relocate to North America. Their family expanded after they moved to Montecito, California.

Harry and Meghan declared the arrival of their daughter on Sunday, June 6, 2021. Her birth caused some controversy even though it delighted many.

She received the name Lilibet as a tribute to the nickname given to her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The late queen adopted the name Lilibet during her childhood when she struggled to pronounce her full name.