However, Meghan and Harry's announcement came as a surprise to many when they revealed that Meghan had given birth at Portland Hospital. It's worth noting that Meghan diverged from the tradition of having a child at the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital, where previous royal births had been followed by the famous photo opportunity on the hospital's steps.
On May 6, 2019, the palace made an initial announcement at 1:49 PM that Meghan had gone into labor. Remarkably, just 51 minutes later, at 2:40 PM, a second announcement was issued, stating that the couple was "delighted to welcome their son." The speed at which this announcement was made raised questions. It seemed to suggest that Meghan had given birth astonishingly quickly, but in fact, the birth had occurred at 5:26 AM, a full 8 hours and 14 minutes before the official announcement.
This discrepancy led to suspicions, not only regarding the timing but also regarding statements made by Meghan and Harry that did not align with the birth at Portland Hospital. Questions arose about why there seemed to be a lack of correlation between their account and the birth experienced by the rest of the world. Curiously, details such as Harry mentioning that the baby had grown substantially in just 10 days after birth, despite the baby being only a few days old, added to the uncertainty.
Additionally, Meghan's relative silence about her pregnancy and delivery became a topic of discussion. Given her propensity to share personal experiences, it seemed unusual that she had not provided more details about the birth. Many argued that if she had indeed given birth, she would have been expected to share her experiences more openly.
The birth certificate, which was released 11 days after the delivery, revealed that Meghan had given birth at the Portland Hospital, a facility known for its private and advanced birthing services. Some have speculated that Meghan may have initially intended to go the home birth route but may have later opted for the Portland Hospital due to privacy concerns.
The decision to provide misleading birth times may have been an attempt to safeguard the child's privacy, considering that their whereabouts were unknown to the public. However, several aspects of the story raised questions, such as claims by nurses from an OB-GYN's office stating that geriatric mothers are kept in the hospital for a minimum of 12 hours, which seemed to contradict Meghan and Harry's account of leaving after just two hours. Meghan's explanation that they didn't show Archie to avoid blocking the ER access was also questioned, as the Portland Hospital does not have an ER.
Intriguingly, one Royal expert contacted the Portland Hospital, and the hospital confirmed that there had been no birth on the date that Meghan and Harry had provided as Archie's birthday. This has raised suspicions and led some to wonder if the Royal family, who were aware of Meghan's pregnancy, chose not to confront her publicly in the hope that she would eventually reveal the truth on her own terms.
In the end, the entire situation remains shrouded in mystery, and the Royal family has refrained from publicly acknowledging what they may know about the circumstances surrounding Archie's birth.
