The Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised royal fans when they announced they were expecting their eldest child Prince Archie during their royal tour of Australia in October 2018, five months after their royal wedding.

From the outside, it appeared as though their fairytale love story had smoothly transitioned from newlywed marital bliss to expectant parents, but behind the scenes, their journey to getting pregnant was far from easy.

Prince Harry admitted in his book Spare that he had hoped to be a young father, so it was unsurprising that he and Meghan were both keen to start a family as soon as possible after they exchanged vows. However, their busy schedule and Meghan’s unexplained weight loss acted as a “barrier” to realising that dream.

“We didn’t want to wait. We both wanted to start a family straight away. We were working crazy hours, our jobs were demanding, the timing wasn’t ideal, but too bad. This had always been our main priority,” he began, before outlining Meghan’s diet.

The Duchess had unexplained weight loss before she got pregnant in 2018

“We worried about the stress of our daily lives, that it might prevent us getting pregnant. The toll was starting to be visible on Meg; she’d lost a great deal of weight in the last year, despite all the shepherd’s pie.

“‘I’m eating more than ever,’ she reported – yet her weight kept dropping. Friends recommended an ayurvedic doctor who’d helped them conceive. As I understood it, ayurvedic medicine sorted people into categories. I don’t recall which category this doctor sorted Meg into, but she did confirm our suspicion that Meg’s weight loss might be a barrier to conceiving.

“‘Gain five pounds’, the doctor promised, ‘and you’ll get pregnant.’ So Meg ate, and ate, and soon put on the recommended five pounds, and we looked hopefully at the calendar.”

Royal pregnancy

Meghan and Harry both wanted to start a family as soon as possible

Meghan’s efforts were successful, with the Duke of Sussex recalling the moment they found out about her pregnancy shortly afterwards.

“Meg was late. We bought two home pregnancy tests, one for a backup, and she took them both into the bathroom at Nott Cott.

“I was lying on our bed, and while waiting for her to come out…I fell asleep. When I woke, she was beside me. ‘What’s happened? Is it…?’

The couple told the royal family of their pregnancy at Princess Eugenie’s wedding

“She said she hadn’t looked. She’d waited for me,” he penned, before stating their blue lines confirmed the happy news.

They went on to share this news with members of the royal family at Princess Eugenie’s wedding in October 2018, and Harry later admitted his cousin and her husband Jack Brooksbank were “deliriously happy” for them.

His father King Charles and brother Prince William had equally happy reactions. “We whispered the news, and Willy smiled and said we must tell Kate. She was across the room, talking to Pippa [Middleton].

“I said we could do it later, but he insisted. So we went and told Kate and she also gave a big smile and hearty congratulations. They both reacted exactly as I’d hoped – as I’d wished.”

Three days later, Kensington Palace announced Meghan’s pregnancy on 15 October 2018 as they touched down in Sydney.