Prince Harry was 'obsessed' with Archie's private birth, Meghan thought ordeal was 'barbaric': royal expert

Prince Harry was "obsessed" with keeping the birth of his son Archie a secret from the public eye, and wife Meghan Markle was equally not interested in sharing her firstborn with the world.

"It was not just Harry that was obsessed with keeping the details a secret," royal expert Kinsey Schofield exclusively told Fox News Digital. "Meghan thought the entire ordeal was barbaric and did not want to participate. Meghan originally didn't even want to have the baby in a hospital." 

"The Duchess wanted to do everything in secret at home but was told there could be too many complications since it was a geriatric pregnancy." 

Schofield added: "Her hospital birth was not her first choice. Prince William did not understand the detour from protocol and was so unhappy with the drama that it took them days to come meet the baby." 

"The palace felt like this was one of the first examples of the Sussexes distancing themselves and moving in an entirely different direction."

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Royal expert Katie Nicholl wrote about the royals' birth experience in her upcoming book, "The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown." 

"One source described Harry as being ‘almost morbidly obsessed’ with keeping Archie’s birth as secret as possible," she wrote, according to an excerpt obtained by Page Six.

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However, the secrecy broke an "unwritten contract between the royals and the public."

"Behind the scenes, matters were so fraught that more than one official — as I know from personal experience — was reduced to tears of frustration and despair," Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English added in the book.

Prince Harry, Markle and their newborn baby were expected to pose on the steps of the hospital hours after the duchess gave birth for photos. However, the two decided not to participate on May 6, 2019.

"Harry had always enjoyed outfoxing the media," Nicholl explained. "He and Meghan were thrilled to be safely delivered of their son in London’s private Portland hospital even before the palace press office had confirmed the duchess was in labor."

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Instead, Harry and Markle debuted Archie at Windsor Castle whenever the Duchess of Sussex felt prepared. The occasion featured one journalist and one photographer.

"But it all felt stage-managed, with pre-approved questions, one journalist, and one photographer," Nicholl wrote in the book. "It demonstrated the growing gulf between public expectations of Harry and what he felt obliged to give."

Kate Middleton, now the Princess of Wales, has also expressed displeasure with the required photo op after giving birth. However, Nicholl claimed that she "acquiesced because she will one day be queen and the mother of a king, so there was a legitimate public interest."

Nicholl explained that while Harry and Markle won in the privacy round, they ultimately damaged the royal family's relationship with "the press, the broadcasters, and by extension the public, who felt duped by the experience — whether that was a fair expectation or not."

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Since Archie's birth in 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have given birth to a daughter, Lilibet.

Fox News' Ashley Papa and Tracy Wright contributed to this report.