HEIRY STRICT
Meghan Markle will need to follow these royal pregnancy rules as she and Prince Harry prepare for parenthood
AFTER Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot in their luxurious royal wedding, people began wondering when the newlywed couple would extend their family with a little bundle of joy.
When Meghan was confirmed to be pregnant with a due date in April, certain rules and traditions were expected to be followed. We take a look, below.
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The gender is top secret
The royals keep mum about the baby's sex before the birth.
All anybody could talk about before the birth of Prince Louis was whether Kate Middleton and Prince William would be having another prince or princess.
In fact, the world didn't find out the gender of any of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children until after the birth.
This is typically a standard rule for members of the royal family.
Even Kate and Will themselves are reported to have chosen not to find out Prince Louis' gender until the birth itself.
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Travelling abroad is frowned upon
Unlike many other royal women, Meghan is more affected by this "rule" - she'd just touched down in Australia when she announced her pregnancy.
According to reports, pregnant royals are encouraged to keep travelling abroad to a minimum - and it's all to do with safety measures.
While royal women usually conduct engagements up until the end of their pregnancy (they usually don't have an official "maternity leave" until after the baby is born) they're encouraged to stay as close to home as possible so emergency help is more readily available.
Kate did travel to Norway while pregnant with Prince Louis - but she's said to have kept other trips to a minimum.
In February 2019, just weeks away from giving birth, Meghan and Harry stopped in Morocco for a short official visit.
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Royal mums-to-be don't have baby showers
It was speculated that the Duchess of Sussex would probably have to give a pre-birth party a miss due to royal tradition.
According to royal expert Victoria Arbiter, throwing an elaborate baby shower is unheard of for members of The Firm.
While the royals are "very wealthy... a lavish baby shower would be seen as highly inappropriate...There's nothing they can't go out and buy themselves".
Despite reports that Pippa Middleton threw a party for Kate before Prince George's birth in 2013 believe this wasn't the case.
However, in February 2019, Meghan jetted off to New York for a star-studded baby shower thrown by Amal Clooney and Serena Williams.
The elaborate £300,000 baby shower took place at the swanky £60k-a-night penthouse at The Mark Hotel in New York.
It was attended by an A-list crowd including designers Jessica Mulroney and Misha Nonoo, and US TV anchor Gayle King.
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You won't believe how many midwives are involved
Traditionally, royal mums-to-be would give birth at home.
The Queen, for example, had all four of her children in the royal residences - as did Queen Victoria.
But this tradition was quashed by Princess Anne and followed by Princess Diana, who gave birth to Princes William and Harry in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London.
And while this has now become a tradition - with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis all being born at St Mary's too, there's still an army of doctors, midwives and anaesthetists on hand.
In fact, Kate had three midwives during Princess Charlotte's birth - and it's expected Meghan will be given the same expert treatment.
Although sources have revealed to The Sun that Meghan wants to have her baby at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, she is still expected to have several midwives on hand for the birth of baby Sussex.
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Once the baby is born, the Queen must be the first to find out
When Meghan and Harry welcome their son or daughter, the first person to be informed of the new royal birth has to be Her Majesty.
Royal protocol dictates the Queen must be in the know before anyone else - including grandparents.
So while Meghan might be keen to make a trans-Atlantic phone call, Prince Harry will probably have to follow in his brother's footsteps and inform the Queen via encrypted telephone first.
While we don't know exactly when the Duchess of Sussex is due to give birth, Meghan revealed she was six months' pregnant as she greeted crowds in Birkenhead.
Buckingham Palace posts a notice of the royal birth
A notice is placed on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace announcing the birth, and the time of delivery.
It's tradition that a framed notice of birth goes on display on a ceremonial easel on the forecourt.
Notices have been posted on the occasion of a Royal birth for at least as long as Buckingham Palace has been the Sovereign's official residence - from 1837.
However, the royals still have to register their baby's birth.
Meghan Markle let slip that she's expecting to give birth in April as she and Prince Harry visited Birkenhead for first official royal engagement together in 2019
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The baby is usually given three to four names
If you've ever struggled to think of just one baby name, spare a thought for Meghan and Harry, who'll probably have to think of four.
Royals typically have four names. For example, Prince Harry has four: Henry Charles Albert David while Kate and Will's children have three: Prince George Alexander Louis, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Prince Louis Arthur Charles.
Meanwhile, a recent Expedia report found that Albert was the most popular male Royal name of all time while Victoria is the name of the greatest number of Royal women.
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