PEOPLE Harry & Meghan: One Year Later

By The Editors of PEOPLE

People Magazine presents Harry & Meghan: 1 Year Later.

• Language: English
• Publisher: People
• Release date: May 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781547847723

Book preview

be

‘OVER THE MOON’

JUST DAYS BEFORE THEIR FIRST ANNIVERSARY, AN ECSTATIC MEGHAN AND HARRY INTRODUCE THEIR SON ARCHIE HARRISON MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR

ABOUT THAT NAME Though the couple didn’t explain their choice, Archie may be a subtle but meaningful nod to Harry’s late mother, Diana, a descendant of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, a 17th-century Scottish Protestant leader.

AS RED CARPET PREMIERES GO, Hollywood would have a tough time even approximating the neo-Gothic grandeur of Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Hall, where 2-day-old Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor made his May 8 public debut. Around the corner, in the castle’s chapel, his parents had married nearly a year earlier in a celebration of love and the joyous coming-together of two cultures. There’s power in love! intoned Bishop Michael Curry of Chicago back then. And now, as new mum Meghan gently stroked her infant’s wool-capped head, that seemed truer than ever: Both parents were positively smitten by love for their son, born at 5:26 a.m. on May 6. It’s magic, said Meghan of motherhood. Prince Harry, who earlier called the birth the most amazing experience I could ever possibly imagine, beamed at his wife while photographers captured the world’s first look at a child who may claim American citizenship but who is also seventh in line to the British throne. That he is, in addition, the first biracial descendant of the Queen is monumental, said Tessy Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award and a friend of the couple’s. It changes the landscape—as a woman of color myself, I’m so excited. When the baby’s grandmother and great-grandparents joined the new family of three, it made for a striking scene: the Queen of England and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, an African-American social worker from Los Angeles, both cooing over their adorable shared legacy.

Not that any of this precedent-setting mattered to the subject of all the fuss. Throughout the photo call young Archie stayed asleep in his father’s arms. (Dad holding the infant in official photos? Another break with tradition from this modern couple.) His parents too seemed less concerned with making history than with making it through the first days of parenthood. They are fully aware of their position, says a friend of the couple’s. But they aren’t thinking about much other than the two of them and their little boy. They could be anybody in the world right now—it is about them enjoying the time as much as possible.

So far, reported the duchess, so good. I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy, said Meghan, adding that Archie has the sweetest temperament­­—he’s really calm. That’s probably a good thing, for although Archie is unlikely ever to wear the crown (he’s in line behind his Cambridge cousins and his dad) and doesn’t have a royal title (Mom and Dad decided against it), he’s sure to make headlines all his life. When news of his arrival appeared on the family’s social media accounts, the posts rapidly garnered millions of likes and drew congratulations from around the world and close to home. "Barack and I are so