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Harry's walking a dangerous path: 'Being popular isn't a given'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave the world its first glimpse of their baby son, whom they have named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, at an intimate photo call at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

The brief interview was covered by one reporter, one photographer and two TV stations - a stark contrast from the mass media photo call we’re familiar with from previous royal births.

Royal correspondent Duncan Larcombe told Yahoo UK’s ‘The Royal Box:’ “It’s been a rather extraordinary royal birth by normal standards, I mean if you look at the blueprint that William and Kate have followed with all three children - a big set piece outside the hospital where the baby was born, everyone prepped in advance, big crowds waiting outside. They’ve done everything they can to avoid that.”

“It’s my understanding that the person who didn’t want to stand on the steps and parade the new baby was Meghan and frankly, who can blame her.

“She’s had a rough ride and in particular on social media, some of the comments that have been made are frankly disgusting. I think Harry doesn’t ever really like the press.”

Larcombe warns there is a “danger if [Harry] keeps shutting out the press again and again.”

READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle name son

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in Berkshire [Photo: PA]
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

Larcombe suggests that Harry controlled the narrative around his son's birth through his press team, by announcing Meghan was in labour when she had already given birth hours previously

The news that Meghan, 37, was in labour broke at around 2pm on Monday. A second statement was issued just an hour later announcing that she and Harry had welcomed a baby boy at 05:26 on May 6, 2019.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle praised for 'body-positive message' in bump-hugging dress for first post-birth appearance

Larcombe says: “There was the email announcing that she’d gone into labour and it turned out seven hours earlier, the baby had been born.

“The palace cannot issue lies, they cannot do that.”

“Harry clearly wants to do something different, but as a first start for his media team, they have put a lot of noses out of joint.

“They even issued the statement, accidentally they claim, to one broadcaster in the UK, snubbing all the others and blaming it on an email error.”

The duke and duchess formally set up their own royal household to be based at Buckingham Palace in March this year, breaking away from their joint office with the Cambridges at Kensington Palace.

In the lead-up to their son being born on May 6, Meghan and Harry said they planned to keep details around the birth private, which provoked a mixed reaction from the public and the press.

Larcombe says: “Prince Harry is fine, as long as the public continue to love him like they do, doesn’t matter about the media.

“But if things go wrong and he’s alienated the press, alienated the media, we could see— Prince Andrew was very popular, fought in the Falklands War, he’s now the least popular member of the senior Royal Family. Being popular isn’t a given.”