Prince Harry revealed that he and Meghan Markle told their family about their pregnancy while at Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank.
The Duke of Sussex wrote about expecting their first child in October 2018, months after their royal wedding in his memoir Spare. He noted how they learned about the big news only days before his cousin was getting married.
“We were deliriously happy for her, and for ourselves, selfishly, since Jack was one of our favourite people,” he wrote.
Harry shared how he and Meghan were supposed to be on their first royal tour at the time, but ended up pushing it back so they could attend the princess’ wedding. He said the nuptials ultimately gave him and his wife the opportunity to “pull aside family members one by one and tell them [their] good news”.
“At Windsor, just before a drinks reception for the bride and groom, we corner Pa in his study,” Harry wrote about his father, King Charless III. “He was sitting behind his big desk, which afforded his favourite view, straight down the Long Walk.”
The duke continued to describe his father’s reaction to Meghan’s pregnancy, writing: “He was delighted to learn that he was going to be a grandfather for a fourth time; his wide smile warmed me.”
He then recalled how he and the Duchess of Sussex pulled Prince William aside to share their big announcement.
“We were in a big room, suits of armour on the walls. Strange room, strange moment. We whispered the news, and Willy smiled and said we must tell Kate,” Harry wrote. “She was across the room, talking to [her sister] Pippa [Middleton].”
The 38-year-old told his brother that he could tell Kate about the pregnancy “later”, but William “insisted” to tell her just then. Harry noted that Princess of Wales was just as happy about the pregnancy as her husband was.
“So we went and told Kate and she also gave a big smile and heart congratulations,” he wrote. “They both reacted exactly as I’d hoped—as I’d wished.”
Days after Eugenie’s wedding, Kensington Palace publicly announced that Meghan was pregnant. The news emerged after they arrived in Sydney ahead of a 16-day tour of Australia and the South Pacific.
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019,” the palace said in a statement at the time. “Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”
Elsewhere in Spare, Harry claimed that newspapers made false reports about his wife’s physical health following the pregnancy announcement.
“The papers reported that Meg was battling fatigue and dizzy spells and couldn’t hold any food down, especially in the mornings, all of which were untrue,” he wrote. “She was tired, but otherwise a dynamo.”
The couple went on to welcome their child, now three-year-old Archie, in 2019. In June 2021, they announced the birth of their daughter, Lilibet.
Over the years, Harry has notably had a close bond with Eugenie and her husband. While attending the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee thanksgiving service in June, Harry made headlines when he was spotted laughing with Brooksbank. Eugenie was also seen grinning as the two men shared a joke.
Eugenie has also maintained a close relationship to Meghan. While appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November 2021, Meghan revealed that Harry, Eugenie and Jack had visited her in Toronto in the early days of her relationship with the duke. She explained how the group had “snuck out” in Halloween costumes to have “one fun night on the town before it was out in the world that we [Harry and Meghan] were a couple”.
Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace announced that Eugenie is pregnant with her second child. The princess and her spouse are already parents to their two-year-old son, August.
Eugenie also shared the news on Instagram, writing: “We’re so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer.”
