Listen up! Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry welcomed their first child on Monday, May 6 — and unofficial town crier Tony Appleton spread the word.
“Buckingham Palace proudly announced the birth of a newly born royal baby boy to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” he read from his scroll in front of Windsor Castle. “God bless America, God save the Queen!”
This isn’t the first time that Appleton, 83, has announced a royal baby’s arrival. He stood on the steps of St. Mary’s Hospital’s Lindo Wing after Prince William and Duchess Kate welcomed all three of their children. Prince George was born in 2013, followed by Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince Louis in April 2018.
Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, confirmed that they were expecting a baby of their own in October 2018 after months of baby bump speculation.
“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,” Kensington Palace’s statement read. “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.”
The statement went on to say: “The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted for the couple and were able to congratulate them … in person.”
When it came to sharing the news with her family members, Meghan told her mom, Doria Ragland, “about the pregnancy immediately,” a source told Us Weekly in October 2018.
“Doria is so delighted about the news of her first grandchild,” the insider said at the time. “Doria has been helping Meghan through this time in her life immensely. Meghan really looks to Doria for all advice in anything she does.”
Her father, Thomas Markle, though, didn’t know that his daughter was expecting until the Kensington Palace statement. “Meghan did not tell Thomas Markle about the pregnancy,” the source told Us. “He found out the same time as the rest of the world.”
He congratulated his daughter and her husband after the royal baby’s birth on Monday. “I’m delighted to hear that mother and child are doing well,” he said in a statement, according to The Mirror. “I am proud that my new grandson is born into the British royal family and I am sure that he will grow up to serve the crown and the people of Britain with grace, dignity, and honor. God bless the child and I wish him health and happiness, and my congratulations to my lovely daughter Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry, and God save the Queen.”
