LONDON - Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Britain's Prince Harry, gave birth to a baby boy on Monday (May 6), the couple announced on their official Instagram account.

"We are pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their first-born child in the early morning on May 6th, 2019," the announcement said.

"The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well, and the couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives," the statement said.

The news followed an earlier announcement by Buckingham Palace that Meghan was in labour.

"The Duchess went into labour in the early hours of this morning," the palace said in a statement, noting her husband the Duke of Sussex was by her side.

"An announcement will be made soon," the palace added.

The child, the couple's first, will be seventh in line to the British throne.

Queen Elizabeth's grandson Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, a US-born former actress, married in a lavish ceremony at the monarch's Windsor Castle home in May last year.

The baby will be the eighth great grandchild of the 93-year-old queen, the world's longest-reigning monarch, and could be entitled to hold joint British and American citizenship according to nationality rules.

However, the child will not automatically be a prince or a princess as any such title will have to be bestowed by the queen by issuing what is known as a letter patent.

The couple have previously said they intended to keep the plans for the arrival of the new royal private.

After the birth, a notice will be posted on a ceremonial easel on the forecourt of the queen's London home Buckingham Palace, a tradition which dates back at least as far as 1837 when the palace became the sovereign's official residence.