Meghan and Harry 'sneaked out to hospital', announced she was in labour

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been fiercely protective of their privacy since the early days of their whirlwind courtship, and the birth of their first child was no different.

Harry and Meghan opted for a birth shrouded in secrecy - choosing not to even announce the Duchess was in labour until their son had been born and keeping the details of where she had the baby a mystery.

In a statement made through the palace, the Sussexes announced last month that they wanted to keep details surrounding their first child private, and the pair tore up the royal protocol rulebook to ensure their privacy as Meghan retreated from public life in March, weeks ahead of the birth.

They eschewed the Lindo Wing - where the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth, and opted out of a photo shoot immediately after, unlike William and Kate who proudly posed for photos on the hospital steps with all three of their children. 

And in a further break from tradition the couple used their new Instagram account to announce the happy news, while they left off the names of the medics who delivered the baby on the traditional easel announcement when it eventually appeared outside Buckingham Palace, almost 12 hours after the birth.

Here are the other ways Meghan and Harry went to the beat of their own drum as they brought the new Baby Sussex into the world.

MailOnline