How Princess Eugenie followed in Meghan Markle's footsteps after the birth of her son

• Princess Eugenie followed Meghan Markle's lead when announcing the arrival of her baby boy.
• Like Markle and Prince Harry, Eugenie waited most of the day before announcing the birth.
• Instead of taking part in a royal photo call, Eugenie and Brooksbank shared a photo on Instagram.

Princess Eugenie of York appeared to follow in her cousin Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's footsteps with the arrival of her royal baby.

Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed their first child, a baby boy, at The Portland Hospital in London on February 9.

While the couple announced the birth via an official Buckingham Palace statement, that was the only royal baby tradition they appeared to follow after the birth. Like Harry and Markle, Eugenie and Brooksbank seem to be doing things their own way.

Eugenie and Brooksbank didn't inform the press until hours after the birth

Eugenie gave birth to her son at 8:55 a.m. on Tuesday; however, the birth wasn't officially announced by Buckingham Palace until 5:01 p.m. that evening.

"Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie was safely delivered of a son today, 9th February 2021, at 08:55 hrs at The Portland Hospital. Jack Brooksbank was present," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in the statement. "The baby weighs 8lbs 1oz."

The spokesperson added that The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of York, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Mr. and Mrs. George Brooksbank had been informed and were "delighted with the news."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their son, Archie, at 5:26 a.m on May 6, 2019, at the same hospital that Eugenie and Brooksbank welcomed their son. It wasn't announced that she had gone into labor and subsequently given birth until later that afternoon.

Many royal couples, including Kate Middleton and Prince William, choose to announce the arrival of a child with a press release within a few hours of the birth. Some also pose for official photos with the baby when leaving the hospital, a tradition which was started by Princess Diana and continued by Middleton and William.

It's possible Eugenie and Markle waited longer to announce the births so that they were able to leave the hospital without alerting the press.

Harry and Markle instead opted to hold a private photo call at Windsor Castle two days after the birth.

The couple said in a statement at the time that it was a "personal decision" to keep the details of the birth private so they could "celebrate privately as a new family."

Similarly, Eugenie did not share details with the press in the lead up to the birth, other than that her due date was some time in early 2021.

Markle and Harry waited two days, after the photo call, to announce that they named their son Archie. Eugenie and Brooksbank are yet to announce the name of their son.

Eugenie used Instagram to give the world a first glimpse of the baby

It has not been confirmed whether Eugenie and Brooksbank plan to hold a private photo call with their son. The royal gave the world a small glimpse of the newborn in an Instagram post published on Tuesday evening.

Eugenie posted a black and white shot of her and Brooksbank holding their son's hand, alongside three heart emojis.

A post shared by Princess Eugenie (@princesseugenie)

The decision to share a photo of their son on Instagram for the first time echoes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to announce their baby's gender on the social media platform.

Eugenie's photo was reminiscent of a black and white photo of Prince Harry holding Archie the month after his birth, on Father's Day 2019.

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal)

"Happy Father's Day! And wishing a very special first Father's Day to The Duke of Sussex!" the caption read.

During this time the only photos the couple had released of their son was from the Windsor Castle photo call.