Meghan Markle due date: When will the royal baby be born?

Rumours as to when the baby is due have been circulating for months

Sarah Young
Tuesday 16 April 2019 16:48 BST
Comments
Meghan Markle pregnant: Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry expecting a baby

Now that the first day of spring has been and gone, speculation as to when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby will arrive has reached fever pitch.

In October 2018, Kensington Palace announced that the couple were expecting their first child but it was careful to keep the exact due date under wraps, simply writing on Twitter: “The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019.”

As a result of the vague announcement, rumours as to when the baby is due have been circulating for months, while the royal couple have themselves been dropping subtle hints.

During a visit to Birkenhead, Mersyside, in January 2019, Meghan Markle spoke to well-wishers and revealed that she was six months pregnant.

According to royal correspondent Emily Nash, Markle revealed to a local woman that she was “six months pregnant” and therefore likely to be due “end of April/beginning of May”.

Earlier this month, Markle gave us another hint about her due date while speaking to the Welsh Secretary of State, Alun Cairns, at Prince CharlesBuckingham Palace reception.

In a video that circulated on Twitter, Cairns asked Markle if she was “all in good order”, to which the royal replied: “It’s actually very sweet. It’s a nurturing thing to ask. We’re nearly there!”

Further speculation came when Markle wore a stack of three rings by Canadian jewellery brand Ecksand.

Royal fans guessed that the blue, green and clear stones in the rings represented the Sussex family’s birthstones: a green peridot for Meghan whose birthday is in August, a September blue sapphire for Harry and a white diamond, which is the traditional birthstone for April, for the new baby.

If the child is born in April, it could share its birthday with a number of royal family members.

Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday falls on 21 April while Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child, Prince Louis, celebrates his birthday on 23 April.

The royal couple have also kept the sex of their baby a secret. During the same trip to Mersyside, both Harry and Meghan reportedly told well-wishers they decided to keep the gender of the baby a “surprise”.

It is also unknown if Markle will give birth to the baby at the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.

The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to all three of her children at the Lindo Wing and it is also where Princess Diana welcomed both William and Harry.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in