Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's rule-breaking baby scan of Prince Archie was a royal first

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a beautiful snippet of their pregnancy with the public

Meghan Markle cradles her baby bump as Prince Harry kisses her stomach
Georgia Brown
Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
Share this:

Traditionally, the due date and gender of a royal baby are shielded from the public until the day they are born. 

The same privacy rules apply to sharing ultrasound images, which changed for the very first time when Prince Harry and Meghan broadcast their sonogram with the world via their Netflix docuseries. 

In episode four of the six-part chronicle following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's complex royal journey, an ultrasound scan image captured during Meghan's pregnancy with Prince Archie was shown on screen. Take a look in the clip below...

WATCH: Harry and Meghan share never-before-seen ultrasound scan

More images of Meghan's growing baby bump were also featured in the documentary, including a set of romantic photobooth portraits captured shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan discovered they were going to become parents for the first time. 

The Duchess reveals they bonded over wanting to be parents and tells Harry, "One of the things we connected on very early is you always wanted to be a dad, and I always wanted to be a mom."

She continued: "We started journaling the minute we found out we were pregnant. It was just 'Dear baby, we're so excited to meet you one day'. And we'd take little snapshots and stick them in the journal."

Prince Harry and Meghan marked their first pregnancy with an adorable photobooth souvenir© Netflix
Prince Harry and Meghan marked their first pregnancy with an adorable photobooth souvenir

Prince Harry and Meghan's baby scan marked the first time in royal history that this kind of information had been shared with the public. 

The reason why the royal family prefers to keep their baby scans private has never been explicitly revealed by Buckingham Palace, though it does fall in line with the palace's general privacy rules surrounding personal medical information. 

An ultrasound scan is, afterall, a look inside the uterus to see if the baby is growing properly or if there are any potential problems with the pregnancy. It only makes sense that the world's most watched family choose to keep this personal piece of medical information to themselves. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet© Netflix
Prince Harry and Meghan with their children Archie and Lilibet

Meghan and Harry went on to welcome their firstborn on 6 May 2019, and on 4 June 2021, their second child was born, a daughter called Lilibet.

LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!

Princess Kate wearing black and white polka dots and a hat

If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…

What is it?

Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.

Member benefits

  • Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
  • Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
  • Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
  • Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
  • Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
  • Invitations to in-person and virtual events
  • A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
  • Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits

By royal decree

You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!

In another break from royal tradition, Harry and Meghan did not publicly reveal the names of Prince Archie's godparents, however four of the individuals were later reported to be Harry's close friends, Charlie van Straubenzee and the 7th Duke of Westminster, family friend Mark Dyer and the Duke's former nanny, Tiggy Pettifer.

meghan markle prince archie princess lilibet montecito home© Instagram
Harry lives in Montecito with Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet

Similarly, Princess Lilibet's godparents are unknown but prior to her baptism, Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry revealed he had been asked to be the tot's godfather in Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries, released in December 2022.

More Parenting

See more