Meghan Markle and Prince Harry unlikely to pose for post-birth picture with baby, says royal photographer

'The longer we don’t hear anything, the more it looks like it could well be private'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are unlikely to pose for a post-birth picture with the royal baby, according to a royal photographer.

In October, Kensington Palace announced Meghan Markle was expecting her first child in spring 2019. During the duchess' pregnancy, royal fans have speculated as to Ms Markle's due date, the royal baby name and location of the birth.

However, Shutterstock royal photographer Tim Rooke warns the public not to get their hopes up to see the royal couple and their newborn soon after the birth.

“I don’t think we’re going to get the same thing with the Duchess of Sussex’s baby,” Rooke, who has photographed all three of the Duchess of Cambridge’s post-birth photographs outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s hospital in Padding, London, told Cosmopolitan.

“I don’t think we’re going to see it at all. I think it’s going to be private.”

Rooke bases his thinking on the fact he, and several of his photographer contemporaries, have failed to receive much information on the birth from the Palace.

“At this point with Kate’s babies, we’d been briefed by the Palace, but we’ve had no briefings whatsoever,” he explained.

“At this time, at St Mary’s for all the other three births, there was parking restrictions and all sorts of other things, and there’s none of those.

“They’ve already moved into Frogmore Cottage so why would they come up to West London to have the baby?”

In November, Kensington Palace announced Ms Markle and Prince Harry were moving out of London to Frogmore Cottage, which is located in the grounds of Windsor Castle and was their chosen wedding destination for the nuptials earlier that year.

Speculation that Ms Markle won’t pose for a photograph on the steps of the Lindo Wing, as several royals have done before her, comes days after the Kensington Palace launched an official Instagram account on behalf of the royal couple.

Last week, the Palace announced it had launched a verified Instagram account, under the handle @sussexroyal, which went onto break the record for the fastest time to gain 1 million followers on Instagram.

As a result, Rooke believes the first time we may see the couple’s newborn could be via their new Instagram account.

"Obviously they just launched their Instagram. If they want to keep it private... they’ll just issue a picture and put it on Instagram," the photographer suggested.

Unlike Kate Middleton, who posed with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis following their births in 2013, 2015 and 2018, respectively, Rooke believes Ms Markle and Prince Harry may be able to keep the birth of their child a more private affair given Prince Harry's line of succession to the British throne.

"There’s a big difference between the Cambridges and the Sussexes, in that the Duchess of Cambridge will be Queen, whereas Harry is sixth in line to the throne,” he added.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge depart the Lindo Wing with their newborn daughter at St Mary's Hospital on May 2, 2015 in London, England (Getty Images)

“Any child that he has with the Duchess of Sussex is going to be seventh in line to the throne, so I think there’s different expectations.

"The longer we don’t hear anything, the more it looks like it could well be private," added the photographer.

Keep up to date with Ms Markle's pregnancy on The Independent here.