Bizarre royal birthing rules Meghan Markle may have had to follow when giving birth revealed

MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry's first child was born at 5.26am on May 6 - and it's a boy!

Kate had to follow some bonkers birthing rules in order to adhere to tradition - but did Meghan do the same with her son? Here's the lowdown...

1. The Queen has to be the first to know

The Queen must be told a child has been born into the Royal Family before the news is announced publicly.

It's reported that Prince William rang his grandmother on an encrypted phone when Prince George was born.

Traditionally, the announcement has always been on an easel outside Buckingham Palace.

Kate and William broke this protocol and announced it on Twitter with Prince George.

Meghan and Prince Harry announced the birth of their first child on their official Instagram account.

2. Home births are preferred

As is tradition, the Queen gave birth to all of her children in Buckingham Palace.

Princess Diana broke this rule and gave birth to sons Prince Harry and Prince William at London’s St. Mary’s Hospital in the private Lindo Wing.

Kate also had her three children at the same hospital.

Meghan went into labour late on Sunday night ( May 5, 2019) and gave birth at London's Portland Hospital at 5.26am the following day.

Prince Harry was by her side at the time of the birth.

Meghan and Harry had been preparing for a home birth at Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

But late on Sunday the Duchess was driven to the exclusive Portland private hospital in central London by Harry and their Scotland Yard security team.

Meghan remained in the £15,000-a-night hospital overnight before going into labour in the early hours of Monday morning.

3. Dads are banned from the birthing room

Giving birth is considered a female-only event and fathers are not allowed in the delivery room.

However, this rule is believed to have been relaxed after the birth of Prince Charles.

William was by Kate's side as she gave birth to their children.

Prince Harry was by his wife's side.

Speaking from Windsor, the Duke of Sussex said: "I'm very excited to announce that Meghan and myself had a baby boy this morning, a very healthy baby boy."

A beaming Harry added: "It's been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined.

"How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension. But we're both absolutely thrilled."

4. Midwives are sworn to secrecy

Midwives are not allowed to disclose any information about the birth.

Kate Middleton had three midwives with her during the birth of Princess Charlotte.

For all of her pregnancies, there were also an army of doctors and anaesthetists on hand.