Why Meghan Markle Won’t Be Taking Photos After Her Baby’s Birth
The reason has everything to do with how Meghan and Harry intend to live their life as a family and raise their new baby.
Why Meghan is skipping the photo op
A royal mother making an appearance outside the hospital following the birth of a new baby is somewhat of a tradition—Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, introduced her children to the world this way, and so did her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales. Like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade or the festivities surrounding a presidential inauguration, it’s something people have come to expect as a marking of a special occasion. However, it’s already been speculated that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will be raising their newborn very differently from the Cambridge children—and it looks like this will be the case from the moment the little one is born.
With Meghan’s due date rumoured to be in late April or early May, preparations have begun for the birth of the new royal. Buckingham Palace recently released a statement announcing that Meghan and Harry plan to keep the arrival of their baby private—meaning no traditional photo op on the hospital steps. (Discover the real story of how Prince Harry and Meghan met!)
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very grateful for the goodwill they have received from people throughout the United Kingdom and around the world as they prepare to welcome their baby,” a palace spokesperson said. “Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private. 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.” (On the other hand, these are the royal rules Duchess Meghan must follow.)
According to Vanity Fair, Meghan is “uncomfortable” with the idea of staging an appearance so soon after giving birth and will likely wait to share images of their baby when she feels ready. While it’s unlikely that Meghan would deliver the baby at the same hospital as Kate given the distance from their new home in Windsor to St. Mary’s Hospital in London, Meghan and Harry might not even be at a hospital—the Duchess of Sussex is reportedly considering a home birth at the couple’s new residence, Frogmore Cottage. Meghan’s personal team of medics, along with her mother and Harry, will be at her side and the Queen’s doctors will be on standby should something go wrong.
Eager royal baby fans can still count on an announcement of the newborn’s birth on an easel outside Buckingham Palace.
Check out the strangest conspiracy theories about Meghan and Harry.