Royal baby photos: Buckingham Palace releases first pictures of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's child

This is the first time the world has seen the royal baby

The first photographs of the royal baby have been released.

In the early hours on Monday 6 May, the Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a baby boy.

Two days later, Prince Harry and Meghan have introduced their son to the world for the first time.

In the images, the newborn can be seen swaddled in a traditional merino wool ivory white "leaves & flowers" shawl from royal favourite babywear retailer, G.H. Hurt & Son.

Meanwhile, Meghan poses in a white sleeveless tuxedo-style, double-breasted dress as her husband stands in a light grey suit.

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. (PA_Images) (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Speaking in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle ahead of the photo's release, Harry held their two-day-old child as Meghan said: "It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy.

"He has the sweetest temperament, he's really calm."

As they both laughed, Harry said: "I don't know who he gets that from."

Meghan added: "He's just been the dream so it's been a special couple of days."

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. (PA_Images) (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

When asked how he found parenting, Harry added: "It's great. Parenting is amazing. It's only been two and a half days, three days, but we're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy."

The photograph comes weeks after the couple announced they would not be posing for pictures with their newborn immediately after the birth, according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace.

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. (PA_Images) (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

(Dominic Lipinski/PA (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Instead, the royal couple said they had "taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private”.

“The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family,” read a section of the statement.

(Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Reacting to news of the palace’s statement, royal historian Sarah Gristwood told The Independent it was further evidence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's strong desire to do things their way.

“Both of them have been proving themselves very useful members of the younger generation of the royal family in recent years.”

Days after Prince Louis’ birth on 23 April 2018, Kensington Palace shared images, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, of the newborn at home with his family.

The photographs were published to commemorate the third birthday of the prince’s sister, Princess Charlotte, on 2 May.

“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share two photographs of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, taken by The Duchess at Kensington Palace,” read a statement by Kensington Palace on 5 May.

Earlier this month, Kensington 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 one million followers on Instagram.

For all the latest news on the royal baby, follow The Independent's live blog here.