Why British Media Will Never Be the Same Because of Meghan Markle

It is not only the fans who have been set abuzz by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s demands for privacy. The arrival of the Duchess of Sussex to the royal family has rattled the British press with protocols being broken especially during baby Archie’s birth.

The former ‘Suits’ actress is not new to media and public attention but royal correspondents are facing a difficult challenge in covering the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they are known to demand more privacy than fellow royals Prince William and Kate Middleton.

After all, the job of a royal correspondent is balancing the royal’s ‘desire for privacy with the public’s insatiable appetite for gossip’ as described by Marie Claire magazine.

K.J. Yossman of Marie Claire detailed how the royal reporters have been left clueless around the time of baby Archie’s birth. During the three births of Middleton, everything was well coordinated with the press up to the photo call in front of St. Mary’s Hospital in London and Prince William driving his family home.

Markle, however, kept the public guessing whether she will follow her sister-in-law’s birthing place or prefer a water birth at Windsor among other speculative theories.

Even the details surrounding Archie’s day of birth remained a mystery until the Sussex couple’s press team emailed reporters that the Duchess was in labor. However, there is a catch. The email was sent eight hours after the royal baby was born, the Marie Claire article reported.

Royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills broke the news that Markle was in labor but was surprised to see that the rest of the royal press are not tweeting about it - a rare occurence as royal correspondents would report news events at close time periods.

Markle managed to escape the press by taking a rest for two days before appearing at a photo call at Windsor Castle. Only when the baby’s birth certificate was revealed did the public find out that Archie was born at Portland Hospital in London.

Two months later, the Sussex parents held a private christening ceremony for baby Archie and refused to name his godparents. The move ignited a public outcry as the royal correspondents and British media have historically been allowed to cover births and christening rites of members of the royal family.

As Prince Harry and Markle insists that Archie is a ‘private individual’, the royal press will likely find it difficult to follow his life story.

Markle gave birth to Archie on May 6.