Follow the royal pregnancy of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as they make room for baby number one.
The dust had barely settled following the fairytale wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank, before Kensington Palace released Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell baby announcement as they touched down in Sydney, Australia to commence their 16-day Royal tour, including further stops in Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand.
Following their royal wedding in May 2018, which garnered an international audience of 29 million, Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan Markle, 37, are now expecting their first child.
Here’s everything we know so far:
The announcement
Kensington Palace confirmed the happy news in a statement drawing on the support and love from the Royal Family.
“Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”
“The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted for the couple and were able to congratulate them on Friday at the wedding in person,” the statement continued.
“Ms Doria Ragland (Meghan’s mother) is very happy about the lovely news and she looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild.”
The due date and gender
According to the statement released by Kensington Palace, Prince Harry and Meghan’s first baby is due to arrive in ‘Spring 2019’ – in the northern hemisphere that is. However, on a recent engagement with her husband in Birkenhead, Merseyside, Meghan revealed to a well-wisher that she was six months pregnant and expecting in April.
Meghan has told wellwishers in Birkenhead that she is six months pregnant – due end of April/beginning of May! Lots of baby chat today! #dukeandduchessofsussex
— Emily Nash (@emynash) January 14, 2019
While a late-April/early-May arrival has been suggested, many onlookers speculated an early April due date given the size of the Duchess’s baby bump. Furthermore, according to UK news outlet Mirror, bookmakers shortened odds that Meghan would give birth on the Queen’s birthday which is April 19 at 12/1, however, we’re still waiting for the news.
On the same outing, The Duchess also confirmed that there will be no intel on the baby’s gender until the birth in a bid to keep it a surprise.
The royal protocol
With royal life comes many realties, or rules, so to speak. Not only will Meghan and Harry be forgoing the gender reveal, but they’ll also be bypassing the traditional baby shower as well. Being pregnant with a blue-blooded baby comes with a long list of traditions and protocol, including:
- The Queen will be the first to know the baby has arrived
- The birth of a Royal baby is celebrated with a 62-gun salute
- An official birth announcement is posted outside Buckingham Palace
- A town crier announces the royal baby’s birth in London
- Prince Harry will take paternity leave
- Meghan will go on a lengthy maternity leave
- Royal babies don’t have surnames
- The Royal baby’s first official appearance will be his or her christening
Where will Meghan and Harry live once the baby arrives?
Earlier in 2017, Prince Harry and Meghan were spotted making their country home purchase in the idyllic Cotswold village of Great Tew, a manor house set in 13 acres of land.
When they’re not breathing in the fresh Cotswold air, The Duke and Duchess are tucked away on the grounds of Kensington Palace in Nottingham Cottage, nicknamed “Nott Cott”, the same location where their engagement was announced. However, rumour had it they would be upgrading to the 21-room Apartment 1 in Kensington Palace, which is next to Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s primary home, 20-room Apartment 1A.
Fast-forward through some supposed family squabbles and a question of tightened security later and it’s been confirmed the couple will be relocating to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor (a gift from the Queen, you see) rather than shift to London as predicted.
But a humble cottage this is not. Well, not once Meghan is through with renovating it no less.
According to The Sun, Meghan has called upon the aid of Vicky Charles, the interior designer behind stylish private members’ clubs such as Soho House and the like. Not to mention her work for A-listers George and Amal Clooney and the Beckhams. Why? Meghan wants her home to look and feel like the stylish venues where she enjoyed many low-key dates with Prince Harry in the early stages of their relationship.
Everything else
The couple strayed away from royal tradition when they announced that their child won’t be making their first public appearance to the world on the day that it is born.
“They look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family,” said a statement delivered by Buckingham Palace.
Although the couple are keeping the details about the birth of their child quiet, it is said that they are likely to be hoping for a home-birth at their home in Windsor, following the footsteps of the Queen, who had all four of her children at Clarence House or Buckingham Palace.
Meghan has also broken tradition by not appointing the Royal Household gynaecologists – instead, she has reportedly appointed her own delivery team, lead by a female doctor.
However, with the recent creation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s joint Instagram account, @sussexroyal, many believe the baby will be delivered quicker than we thought.
