Meghan Markle 'won't give birth at the Lindo Wing,' according to reports

The Duchess of Sussex will not have her baby at the Lindo Wing, according to reports.

Meghan, 37, is due to give birth in the coming weeks, but it’s believed that she won’t be following in her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge’s footsteps.

Kate, 37, delivered all three of her children at the private Lindo Wing in St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, where prices start at £5,900 for a one-night stay.

Instead Meghan and Harry have reportedly opted for a maternity unit closer to their new home Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor.

A source told The Sun that the couple “want the birth to be as private as possible,” as the baby is not a direct heir to the throne and that Meghan is “nervous” about the birth.

They said: “Meghan is nervous about complications such as an emergency Caesarean and doesn’t want the pressure of having to look immaculate on the hospital steps just hours later.”

Women over the age of 35 are considered to have a “geriatric pregnancy,” which can increase the risk of complications for mother and baby, according to the NHS.

The source added: “She and Harry have decided that rather than go somewhere as public as the Lindo they will allow Meghan to recover somewhere more private.

“She just wants a normal, natural birth and to bond with her baby, without being primped and blow-dried to within an inch of her life just for the pictures.”

READ MORE: Latest royal baby news

Kate has famously appeared on the steps of the Lindo Wing with blowdried locks and wearing heels with each of her children, just hours after giving birth.

Last year, actress Keira Knightley referred to Kate’s post-baby appearances when she wrote an essay for Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (And Other Lies) in which she spoke about her own experiences of childbirth and the pressure on women to look good after labour.

Princess Anne was the first royal to give birth at the Lindo Wing – her son Peter Phillips was born there in 1977, followed by daughter Zara in 1981.

Princess Diana also had sons William and Harry there in 1982 and 1984 respectively.

But Meghan isn’t the first royal to choose an alternative hospital.

Sarah, Duchess of York had daughters Beatrice and Eugenie at The Portland Hospital in London in 1988 and 1990.

READ MORE: Where will Meghan and Harry’s baby live?

Sophie, Countess of Wessex had both of her children Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn, born in 2003 and 2007, at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey.

The NHS hospital could be an option for Meghan and Harry, as it’s a 15-mile drive from Frogmore Cottage.

Peter Phillips’ wife Autumn opted for Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, for the births of their daughters Savannah and Isla, in 2010 and 2012.