07 May 2019 - Royal Baby: Duchess Meghan Markle gives birth to a boy
Royal baby: Congratulations pour in for Meghan and Harry
(BBC News, 07/05/2019)
The newborn was delivered at 05:26 BST on Monday, with Prince Harry saying the baby boy was "absolutely to die for".
The Palace said the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales were all "delighted with the news".
Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was said to be "overjoyed", while former US First Lady Michelle Obama said she and Barack were "thrilled".
The baby, who has not been named yet, is seventh in line to the throne, behind the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and his children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - and Prince Harry.
Harry and Meghan’s baby will be an earl, not a prince. Here are the complicated, sexist, and historical reasons why
Joseph Brean (National Post, 06/05/2019)
The son of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was a healthy 7lb, 3oz, when he was born at 5:26 a.m. Monday. His birth does little to disrupt the line of succession to the throne, other than tucking in a new person at number seven. But it highlights some unusual aspects of royal titles and their inheritance. In front of him in line to the monarchy are five princes (Charles, William, George, Louis and Harry) and one princess (Charlotte). Unlike his cousins, however, Harry and Meghan’s newborn is merely an earl. So far. The National Post’s Joseph Brean runs through the reasons, and the future possibilities.
Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry raise their baby to be black?
Carla Hall (Los Angeles Times, 06/05/2019)
So, Meghan Markle, the American biracial wife of Prince Harry, did it. She managed to have their baby (a boy) on her own terms. Which is to say, at an undisclosed location — although we all know the young British royal couple has been holed up at their Windsor home with the fairy tale name of Frogmore Cottage, we don’t know where she actually gave birth — and on an undisclosed timetable. We all found out about the birth when Harry and Meghan announced it on Instagram. (Buckingham Palace announced it too.)
Nor did Meghan submit to the postpartum photo call. There will be no pictures of her making a red carpet departure from a hospital, looking preternaturally polished in full makeup and hair while wearing a dress and high heels and carrying a newborn (as her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, did with all three of her children’s births), but who could blame her for nixing such a ridiculous ritual just hours after a grueling delivery?
Royal baby: Political leaders and others rush to pay tribute
Lucy Fisher (The Times, 07/05/2019)
Michelle Obama led the flood of congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The former first lady referred to them informally as Meghan and Harry, and added: “Barack and I are so thrilled for both of you and can’t wait to meet him.”
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall said they were “so pleased” at the news, as he quipped: “It is a great joy to have another grandchild; the only trouble is I don’t know how I am going to keep up with them.”
Royal Babies, Ranked from 'Worst' to 'We Renounce Democracy; Be Our King'
River Donaghey (Vice, 06/05/2019)
Back in the late 70s—the 1770s—a group of brilliant and pretty disgusting men fought and died and eventually won the right to our nation's independence. They shook off the shackles of the British Empire, gave the finger to the tyranny of kings and queens, and collectively dreamed up the greatest democratic society the modern world had ever seen. But apparently, you can take the people out of the monarchy but you can't, uh, take the monarchy out of the people, because here we are, nearly 250 years later, watching family members fight over the Iron Throne and obsessing over the Prince of England's new royal spawn.
On Monday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first baby boy, a seven-pound, three-ounce little bundle of joy and genetics that somehow make it suitable for rule according to some archaic concepts of power, and everyone is extremely excited for the thing.