Meghan Markle pregnant: royal baby due date, possible names and latest news

The arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s child is imminent.

Kensington Palace first announced the couple’s pregnancy news on October 15 2018, as they arrived in Australia for their royal tour.

Palace officials tweeted a statement saying the couple were “very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the spring of 2019.”

“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 couple is thought to have shared their happy news with other Royal Family members at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brookbank’s wedding on Friday 12 October, ahead of their tour.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were said to be “delighted” for the couple.

Following the announcement, Kensington Palace took to Twitter to share Doria Ragland’s delight. Meghan’s mother admitted to being “very happy about this lovely news.”

When is the royal baby due?

Kensington Palace isn’t in the habit of revealing royal due dates and has only ever revealed the baby is due in spring 2019.

However, Meghan told well-wishers during a visit to Birkenhead in January that she is due to give birth at the end of April or beginning of May.

Now that April has come and gone, the royal baby’s arrival is imminent.

What gender is the royal baby?

The couple do not know the sex of their unborn child, although there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the baby’s gender.

The pink roses, and orange and yellow tulips that were delivered to Meghan’s baby shower in New York sparked rumours that she’s expecting a girl.

Royal watchers also thought that Meghan’s friend Abigail Spencer had dropped a hint about the sex of the baby. The Suits star was spotted carrying a bag with gifts wrapped in blue paper, which fans felt was a sign that the royal couple will welcome a baby boy.

Where will Meghan Markle give birth?

On April 11, 2019, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying the couple “have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private.”

It continued: “The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.”

This means that no details about where Meghan plans to give birth will be released.

In contrast to Kate and William and Charles and Diana, the parents-to-be will not be posing on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.

READ MORE: Private royal birth ‘another example of Harry’s bitterness at the media’

Photographs of the baby are likely to be taken a few days after he or she is born.

Harry and Meghan may opt for a maternity unit closer to their new home at Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor.

There has been some speculation that Meghan could decide to give birth at the NHS-run Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey – where the Countess of Wessex had her two children.

Frimley Park is around 16 miles from Frogmore Cottage, in comparison to the 23-mile journey to the Lindo Wing in London.

There are also reports that Meghan plans to have a home birth, like the Queen.

What will the royal baby be named?

There’s much suspense amid the royal baby fever as to what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will call their baby.

Meghan has immersed herself in the royal way of life, ending her career as an actress, and becoming a full-time royal.

But the pair are also forward-thinking royals, and the duchess has her own American upbringing to draw on.

The latest odds from bookmaker, Betfair, suggest that punters think the royal baby will be a girl.

Diana is the favourite at 3/1, the name of Harry’s late mother, who died in a car accident in 1997.

Next is Grace at 8/1, the name of another American-actress-turned-royal, Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco.

Victoria and Alice both have odds of 14/1. The Queen is a great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Princess Alice was her second daughter. The Duke of Edinburgh’s mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg.

According to Ladbrokes, Allegra is another contender. A flurry of bets on the Italian girls’ name in recent days has seen the bookies slash odds from 100/1 down to just 12/1.

If Harry and Meghan’s baby is a boy, Arthur, James and Edward are the 14/1 favourites, which are all very traditional names.

However, the couple may decide to surprise everyone when naming their first child.

Canadian-born Autumn Phillips, and husband Peter Phillips, opted for a non-traditional name for their daughter Savannah – the Queen’s first great-grandchild – in 2010.

In the US, the most popular name for a baby girl is Emma and Liam for a baby boy.

In the UK, the most popular name for a girl born in 2017 was Olivia, and for a boy Oliver.

Will the baby have dual citizenship?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could apply for their child to have dual US-UK citizenship.

Harry was born in London, while Meghan comes from Los Angeles.

The duchess is in the process of becoming a British citizen, but it takes a number of years. It’s not known if she will retain dual nationality or whether she will renounce her US citizenship

According to the American embassy in the UK, a child born outside of the United States and in wedlock to a US citizen parent and a non US citizenship, may acquire US citizenship at birth, if the US parent lived in American for a period of five years – two of which were after the age of 14.

Meghan’s NYC baby shower

Meghan flew to New York in February to catch up with some of her closest friends, including tennis star Serena Williams, stylist Jessica Mulroney and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Her A-list pals threw her a baby shower at The Mark hotel, reportedly in the Penthouse Suite. Around 15-20 guests attended the bash and guests were given iced biscuits as favours.

The day before the party, a team of florists were pictured delivering bouquets of pink roses, and orange and yellow tulips, as well as an orange tree to the venue.

A large box from nursery furniture brand Babyletto was also spotted being delivered.

According to BAZAAR.com the NYC baby shower was the first of two. A smaller gathering has apparently been scheduled for friends in the UK before the newborn arrives.

Where will the baby fall in the line of succession?

Seventh in line. The baby will bump Harry’s uncle the Duke of York into eighth place in the line of succession.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie move into ninth and 10th place, and the Earl of Wessex – the Queen’s youngest son – drops out of the top 10 for the first time to 11th in line.

How will the baby be related to the Queen?

The baby will be a great-grandchild of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales’s grandchild and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s niece or nephew.

Will he or she ever be monarch?

Unlikely. The baby will have three cousins Prince George – a future king – and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are further up the line of succession, so it is a safe bet that throne will stay on the Cambridge side of the family.

Will the baby be a prince or princess?

As things currently stand, Harry and Meghan’s child will not be a prince or princess, unless the Queen steps in.

Her Majesty’s grandfather declared under the provisions of the 1917 Letters Patent: “…the grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms.”

As the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince George was always going to be given a HRH title, but the Queen made an amendment in 2012 to allow all of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children to have the same.

Without this Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would have been a Lady and a Lord instead.

Where will the baby live?

Harry and Meghan moved to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor on April 4, ahead of the baby’s arrival.

Kensington Palace announced the planned move in November 2018, stating “Windsor is a very special place for Their Royal Highnesses and they are grateful that their official residence will be on the estate.”

Before the move, the Sussexes lived in Nottingham Cottage – a two-bedroom house in the grounds of Kensington Palace, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also live.

Frogmore Cottage, which is a Grade-II listed property, underwent renovation work to turn it from staff accommodation to a 10 bedroom family home for Harry and Meghan and their newborn.

When get Harry and Meghan get married?

Harry and Meghan were wed at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19 2018. The couple announced their engagement in November 2017.