The Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised royal fans when they announced they were expecting their eldest child Prince Archie during their royal tour of Australia in October 2018, five months after their royal wedding.
From the outside, it appeared as though their fairytale love story had smoothly transitioned from newlywed marital bliss to expectant parents, but behind the scenes, their journey to getting pregnant was far from easy.
Prince Harry admitted in his book Spare that he had hoped to be a young father, so it was unsurprising that he and Meghan were both keen to start a family as soon as possible after they exchanged vows. However, their busy schedule and Meghanâs unexplained weight loss acted as a âbarrierâ to realising that dream.
âWe didnât want to wait. We both wanted to start a family straight away. We were working crazy hours, our jobs were demanding, the timing wasnât ideal, but too bad. This had always been our main priority,â he began, before outlining Meghanâs diet.
âWe worried about the stress of our daily lives, that it might prevent us getting pregnant. The toll was starting to be visible on Meg; sheâd lost a great deal of weight in the last year, despite all the shepherdâs pie.Â
ââIâm eating more than ever,â she reported â yet her weight kept dropping. Friends recommended an ayurvedic doctor whoâd helped them conceive. As I understood it, ayurvedic medicine sorted people into categories. I donât recall which category this doctor sorted Meg into, but she did confirm our suspicion that Megâs weight loss might be a barrier to conceiving.
ââGain five poundsâ, the doctor promised, âand youâll get pregnant.â So Meg ate, and ate, and soon put on the recommended five pounds, and we looked hopefully at the calendar.â
Royal pregnancy
Meghanâs efforts were successful, with the Duke of Sussex recalling the moment they found out about her pregnancy shortly afterwards.
âMeg was late. We bought two home pregnancy tests, one for a backup, and she took them both into the bathroom at Nott Cott.
âI was lying on our bed, and while waiting for her to come outâŚI fell asleep. When I woke, she was beside me. âWhatâs happened? Is itâŚ?â
âShe said she hadnât looked. Sheâd waited for me,â he penned, before stating their blue lines confirmed the happy news.Â
They went on to share this news with members of the royal family at Princess Eugenieâs wedding in October 2018, and Harry later admitted his cousin and her husband Jack Brooksbank were âdeliriously happyâ for them.
His father King Charles and brother Prince William had equally happy reactions. âWe whispered the news, and Willy smiled and said we must tell Kate. She was across the room, talking to Pippa [Middleton].
âI said we could do it later, but he insisted. So we went and told Kate and she also gave a big smile and hearty congratulations. They both reacted exactly as Iâd hoped â as Iâd wished.â
Three days later, Kensington Palace announced Meghanâs pregnancy on 15 October 2018 as they touched down in Sydney.
READ:Â Royals say itâs âtoo soonâ to add to family following loss
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