If you're excited about the upcoming arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby,
you're not alone.
And if you've been jonesing for more news about their bundle of joy, you're gonna want
to keep watching.
We've uncovered some very juicy details you need to know about the soon-to-be newest royal.
Back in October 2018, Kensington Palace took to Twitter to break the news of the Duchess
of Sussex's pregnancy.
At the time, it was also revealed that the child is due in spring 2019.
Since the announcement, the tweet has garnered over a quarter of a million likes.
Suffice to say, most of us have come down with royal baby fever, and we're not mad about
it.
Despite all of the public attention the family draws, the royals still don't share too many
details about their lives, at least, not directly.
Unlike more accessible celebrities, these famous Brits don't often sit down for interviews.
That's not to say updates are hard to come by.
In late February 2019, Meghan traveled to New York City and had the baby shower of the
century.
For starters, the swanky event was held at The Mark Hotel in Manhattan.
According to Tatler, the Penthouse suite reserved for the occasion comes with a hefty price
tag of $75,000 for just one night.
That said, it's speculated that Meghan's best friend, tennis champion Serena Williams, footed
the bill.
Along with Williams, other famous friends were in attendance, including Meghan's former
Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, actress Priyanka Chopra and television personality Gayle King.
When all is said and done, royal expert Katie Nicholl estimates the shower cost around $200,000.
Wowza.
Despite having a baby shower that King said was unlike anything she'd ever seen, not everyone
thought that was a good thing.
Queen Elizabeth The Second's former press spokesman Dickie Arbiter, told Us Weekly:
Boy or girl?
That's the question everyone is asking, although it's entirely possible that Meghan and Harry
don't even know.
Myka Meier, founder of Beaumont Etiquette, told Glamour:
While it seems unlikely that Meghan and Harry know whether their baby is a girl or boy,
there's still a chance they do.
In an interview with E! News, Serena Williams mentioned a friend who's pregnant.
And, when referring to the baby, Williams used the pronoun "she."
Gasp!
"My friend is pregnant and she's like, 'Oh my kid is gonna do this, and I just looked
at her and I was like, 'No she's not,' and I'm like, 'No you're not.'"
Williams didn't name her pregnant friend, but because she'd been talking about Meghan
earlier in the interview, many are wondering if the tennis champ accidentally spilled the
beans, er, tea, about the sex of Meghan and Harry's baby.
When Global News asked royal expert Victoria Arbiter where Meghan was planning to give
birth, Arbiter said that's the, quote, "million-dollar question," adding:
Myka Meier told Glamour that Princess Diana broke the unofficial "tradition" by becoming
the first royal to not opt for a home birth.
The princess chose to give birth at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London; a custom
later adopted by Diana's own children.
It's been speculated that Meghan will opt for a home birth, but it's also been speculated
that she'll give birth at St. Mary's.
New reports seem to be coming out everyday, and they're rife with speculation:
"Meghan Markle has reportedly chosen to break tradition and not give birth in the London
hospital where many royals have been born."
"I think everything we've seen from the Duchess of Sussex is that she is not traditional in
what we expect from the Royal Family."
Looks like we'll just have to wait and see.
Speculation about when the duchess is due began nearly as soon as Kensington Palace
announced that Harry and Meghan's baby would be arriving in spring 2019.
A major clue came in January 2019 when royal expert Emily Nash tweeted a conversation she'd
overheard.
The following month, Cosmopolitan pieced together various clues to estimate what the due date
would be and came up with:
Guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?
Whenever a new royal baby is on the way, there's a lot of speculation about prospective godparents.
According to royal expert Victoria Arbiter, royal parents choose godparents who will help
the child throughout their, quote, "spiritual journey."
Whom the royals choose isn't stipulated by the Church of England, nor the Queen of England.
So, who will Meghan and Harry choose for this task?
Arbiter told Global News:
Meghan's close friend Jessica Mulroney could also be chosen.
Meghan probably won't be choosing her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, but it's nothing personal.
Royal expert Robert Jobson told USA Today that,
If history repeats itself, this means Kate and William are definitely out of the running.
Naming a baby is no easy task and naming a member of royalty surely comes with some added
pressure.
In April 2019, royal expert Katie Nicholl told Time:
At the end of the day, Nichol thinks the couple won't buck tradition.
Instead, she feels the soon-to-be parents will choose a royal baby name that reflects,
quote, "the family tree."
Because the royal family tree extends so far back in time, there are many names from which
to choose from.
Those willing to chance their luck have even bet on which names they think the couple could
select.
"So this is the main names here at the top of the betting here is Diana ten to one, red-hot favorite, no great surprises there."
As of this the making of this video, the online betting site Ladbrokes claims the frontrunners
are indeed Diana and Elizabeth for a girl, and Albert and Philip for a boy.
Although you might assume that Harry and Meghan's child will have the same last name as William
and Kate's kids, it's not quite that simple.
"It took four days for William and Kate here at Kensington Palace to name their third child,
who will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge."
Quite the mouthful, no?
Royal expert Marlene Koenig explained to Town & Country that "Cambridge", William's dukedom,
acts as William and Kate's children's last name.
It seems likely that Harry and Meghan will follow the same pattern.
Since they are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the child will likely use Sussex as a last
name.
If the couple decides not to use that last name, the child would use the hyphenated last
names of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth The Second's descendants: Mountbatten-Windsor.
If you're wondering why they don't just use Markle, Meghan's maiden name, it's because
it's simply not an option.
The duchess renounced it upon marrying into the royal family.
It seems that whatever name they choose, their child is guaranteed to have a long and really
rather regal name.
At birth, Harry and Meghan's child will not be considered a prince or a princess like
William and Kate's children.
That's because their little one will be too far removed from the throne.
However, royal expert Victoria Arbiter explained to Global News:
And if it's a girl, Arbiter claims she could go by
But just when you think you've got this all figured out, the child's title is subject
to change when Prince Charles becomes king.
At that point, Harry and Meghan's kiddo wouldn't be too far removed and, according to Arbiter,
would
Arbiter added:
Lastly, Meghan and Harry could decide that they don't want their children to have a royal
title and refuse the Queen's offer, just like Princess Anne did.
While we don't know who's going to be doing most of the diaper-changing, late-night feedings,
or other divisions of household labor in the Sussex family, we do know that the couple's
household has literally started dividing during Meghan's pregnancy.
In March 2019, the royal family announced on their official site:
With this change, Harry and Meghan were given permission to move to the Frogmore Cottage
in Windsor, where the pair will raise their little one.
The Queen also granted the royal couple their own communications team separate from William
and Kate's and, with that, their very own Instagram account.
Exciting times!
As Harry and Meghan enter parenthood, we can only hope they'll share some baby pics with
us!
Once the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby arrives, the line of succession to the British
throne will change.
As royal expert Victoria Arbiter told Global News:
Although the little one won't be given the title of prince or princess at birth, it's
technically possible that the child could end up ruling, but do yourself a favor and
don't count on it.
Arbiter explained:
The new baby will take Prince Andrew's place in the line of succession and bump him down
to eighth from the throne.
As such, his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, will also get bumped
to ninth and tenth in the line of succession, respectively.
Vanity Fair contributor and royal expert Katie Nicholl reported that Harry and Meghan officially
moved into their new digs at Frogmore Cottage on April 4th, 2019.
Prior to the expecting parents' relocation to Windsor, the royal expert revealed Meghan's
clear vision for her baby's room.
She claimed that several sources who are helping get the house in order have reported that,
Nicholl further explained:
We're not saying Meghan is having a girl, but if she does, she already has a present
waiting for her.
Back when Meghan was working as an actress on Suits, she sat down for an interview with
Hello! magazine.
Meghan revealed that the jewelry she wore throughout the series was actually her own.
In some instances, she even donned family heirlooms, admitting:
When the actress discovered Suits had been renewed for a third season, she said she,
quote, "totally splurged" for a Cartier French Tank watch.
She explained that she decided to celebrate the career coup with a piece of jewelry that
she'd "always" wanted:
We just hope baby Sussex likes the watch as much as Meghan does!
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about The Royal Family are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.