Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Kensington Palace’s announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first child has been greeted with joy and royal fans are already excited.
The couple will welcome their bundle of joy in the British spring (autumn in South Africa) of 2019.
However, now they’ve decided to start a family there are lots of royal rules and protocol the pair are expected to follow.
Prince William and Kate Middleton had to follow these rules – which mostly they did – and now it’s Harry and Meghan’s turn.
1. Meghan might not have a baby shower
Even though baby showers are a popular tradition, it’s unlikely Meghan will be allowed to have one.
Royal expert Victoria Arbiter says it’s a no-no, Bustle reports.
“A lavish baby shower would be seen as highly inappropriate. There’s nothing they can’t go out and buy themselves.”
However, according to some reports Pippa Middleton threw a baby shower for her sister Kate when she was pregnant with George.
2. No more travelling
All pregnant women are advised to avoid flying towards the end of their pregnancy, but for the royals this is a much more strict rule – in fact, travelling at any stage of a royal pregnancy is frowned upon.
Pregnant royals are advised to keep travelling abroad to a minimum for safety reasons, The Sun reports.
However, Meghan and Harry’s pregnancy announcement came while they were on an overseas trip!
Kensington Palace released the happy news hours after the Duke and Duchess touched down in Sydney to start their tour of Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific islands.
3. The queen must be the first to be told when the baby’s born
Royal protocol dictates that once the baby arrives the queen must be in the know before anyone else – including the child’s grandparents!
4. The baby is usually given three to four names
Royals are typically given four names, The Sun reports.
Prince Harry has four (Henry Charles Albert David) while Kate and Will’s children each have three (George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Louis Arthur Charles). So Meghan better get to thinking about names!
5. The gender will be top secret
The gender of a royal baby isn’t revealed until they make their arrival, The Mirror reports.
Kate and William opted not to know the sex of any of their three children, even though some say they dropped several hints during the pregnancies.
6. Royal babies must be born in a hospital
This one seems a little odd since royals used to be known to give birth at home.
It wasn’t until the queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, opted to give birth at the private Lindo Wing inside London’s St Mary’s Hospital that the tradition stopped.
Since then Princess Diana and Kate have chosen to give birth at the same hospital. Meghan will probably choose to follow suit.
Sources: The Mirror, Sun, Bustle
