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| In a modern twist, the royal birth was also announced on Instagram, from the royal couple's official account (AFP Photo/HO) |
London (AFP) - Tradition-defying royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, broke with custom yet again on Monday with the announcement of the birth of their first child.
News of the
birth was released on Instagram -- a first in royal history -- in a post on
their @sussexroyal account with the couple's crest and the simple phrase:
"It's a BOY!"
The post
received more than 750,000 likes in under an hour.
The account
was only launched in April, breaking a world record by reaching a million
followers in under six hours.
Harry has
battled to protect his privacy for years.
The
34-year-old's relationship with the media has been fraught ever since the death
of his mother Diana in a car crash in Paris 1997 while being chased by
paparazzi.
The couple
had made it clear last month that they wanted the birth kept private -- in
contrast to Harry's brother Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of
Cambridge.
Their three
children were all delivered in the private wing of St Mary's Hospital in London
and shown off to the world's media and royal fans a short time later.
Instead,
the new baby will only be seen later this week to a media pool that will share
the images worldwide.
Wish to
'celebrate privately'
"Their
Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the
arrival of their baby private," Buckingham Palace said in a statement in
April.
"The
Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once
they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family," it
said.
The
circumstances of Monday's announcement demonstrated the couple's wish to retain
their privacy as much as possible.
Royal
officials announced on Monday afternoon that Meghan had gone into labour in the
early hours of that morning.
Only half
an hour later, a royal statement announced that Meghan had in fact given birth
at 5:26am (0426 GMT).
George
and Sir John
The
announcement was followed up by a video statement by a beaming Harry, standing
in front of a stable in Windsor -- a town outside London where the couple now
live on the grounds of its famous castle.
The names
of two black horses behind him were clearly visible -- George and Sir John,
prompting some media to speculate the child's name might be John, who would be
cousin to William and Kate's first son George.
"This
little thing is absolutely to die for. So I am just over the moon," Harry
said, calling the birth "the most amazing experience I can ever possibly
imagine".
Harry said
the announcement of the name was the "next bit".
"I
think we will be seeing you guys in probably two days' time as planned as a
family to be able to share it with you guys and so everyone can see the
baby," he said.
Neither
Harry nor royal officials specified where the birth took place -- at their
residence at Frogmore Cottage or in a nearby hospital.
Some
British media earlier reported that the couple wanted a home birth, which would
re-connect with older tradition.
Queen
Elizabeth had all four of her children, including Harry's father Prince
Charles, in a royal palace.
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