It seems like almost a lifetime ago since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on Valentine's Day that they were expecting a second child. A nod to Harry's late mother, the pair broke the news with a gorgeous photo, 37 years after Princess Diana announced she was pregnant with Harry. Misan Harriman, the photographer who took the photo and a friend of the couple, tweeted: 'Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness this love story begin, and my friend, I am honoured to capture it grow. Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on this joyous news!'
But, excitingly, a baby should be joining their little brother Archie very soon. Here's what we know so far about the next royal birth.
When is Meghan Markle due to give birth?
Bets are that Meghan will give birth by the end of spring, as in the Valentine's photos, she already appeared a few months pregnant. In comparison, Meghan announced her first pregnancy about seven months before welcoming Archie on May 6, 2019.
Where is Meghan Markle giving birth?
Meghan's first child, Archie, was born in London's Portland Hospital - despite numerous rumours that she had decided to give birth at their home at the time, Frogmore Cottage. Obviously, now, the family lives in California, but Page Six are reporting that Meghan might opt for a home birth this time around. A source told the publication, 'Meghan’s plan was to have a home birth with Archie, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans,. In the end, her doctors advised her to go to hospital and all she was interested in was about delivering Archie safely.' They added, 'But she has a beautiful home in California, it’s a beautiful setting to give birth to her baby girl.'
What will be the baby's title?
Archie goes without a title, known as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. And in Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview, Meghan claimed that the royal family actually prevented Archie from having a title, saying: 'They were saying they didn’t want him [Archie] to be a prince or princess, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security.' So it's likely their second child will also not receive a title.
However, this could all change when Charles ascends the throne. Then, Harry and Meghan’s children become eligible for HRH titles, as they're grandchildren of the reigning monarch.
What will the baby's name be?
There have been many rumours{
Is Meghan Markle having a baby shower?
As her first baby shower was a very big deal - it was held at the very fancy The Mark hotel in New York, and the guestlist included the likes of Amal Clooney, Serena Williams, Markus Anderson and Misha Nonoo (who is credited with introducing Meghan and Harry) - many have been wondering how Meghan is going to mark the occasion this time round.
But, according to some reports, Meghan isn't having a baby shower for baby #2 - as she thinks there is 'too much strife' in the world right now. According to a source that spoke toUs Weekly, 'Meghan doesn’t feel a big baby shower with gifts is appropriate right now. There is too much strife in the world. She and Harry have been so involved with humanitarian issues, they both feel their time and resources can be used for a better purpose.' In a nice gesture, instead the couple have urged friends and family to donate to charity, instead of buying gifts.
And, finally, they are expecting a baby girl...
While we don't 100% know all of the details about Meghan's pregnancy, what we do know for sure is that she's expecting a baby girl - something the couple confirmed in their Oprah interview. Harry adorably said his first thought after seeing the ultrasound was that it was 'amazing. Just grateful—to have any child, any one of two, would have been amazing, but to have a boy and then a girl, what more can you ask for? Now we’ve got our family—we’ve got the four of us and our two dogs.'
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