New details of Archie's birth shared by royal sources

New details about the arrival of the newest royal, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, have been revealed by sources close to the royals and has shed some light on his birth.

Though there had long been rumours the Duchess of Sussex had wanted a home birth for her first child, Vanity Fair has now revealed the plan only changed when the expectant mum was a week overdue.

Considered a higher risk pregnancy due to her age, Meghan, 37, was secretly taken from her and Prince Harry's Frogmore Cottage home to the Portland Hospital in London, where Archie was born.

According to Katie Nicholl, due to the secrecy of the birth, the new parents were able to enjoy almost nine hours of time with little Archie before announcing his birth to the world on Instagram.

Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was with the couple at the time, with Meghan opting not to have a doula at the birth as had been rumoured.

LISTEN: Tune in to 9Honey's royal podcast, The Windsors, for all the details on Archie's birth.

But it seems it was the Queen who was most thrilled with the news. A source tells Nicholl Her Majesty had feared she wouldn't live to see Harry become a dad.

“Not so long ago she joked that she probably wouldn’t be around to see Harry have children, but here she is at the age of 93, welcoming another baby," a royal family friend says.

Though Meghan and Harry have chosen to keep little Archie out of the spotlight for the time being, the Duchess has already made a few royal appearances despite her maternity leave continuing for several more months.

Attending Trooping the Colour and a special baseball game involving the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in London, in support of the Invictus Games Foundation, Meghan is clearly still taking her royal duties very seriously.

According to a royal source, her hardworking attitude has endeared her to the Queen, who has always put duty first.

“The queen has been astonished and very impressed by Meghan’s work drive,” the source tells Vanity Fair. “She’s very driven.”

However, Meghan and Harry's son will likely grow up without many of the pressures of royal duties and expectations.

The Sussexes chose not to give Archie a royal title, instead opting to give their firstborn as normal a childhood as possible, something Princess Diana always tried to do for Harry and elder brother Prince William.

"The chances are one day, Archie will have a career and a job,” royal historian Professor Kate Williams explains.