Meghan and Harry: All you need to know about the next royal baby - Image copyright AFP

Meghan and Harry: All you
need to know about the next
royal baby

Image copyright AFP

Eleven months on since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tied the
knot, the arrival of the couple’s first child is just around
the corner.

So how much do we know about the future royal?

When’s the baby due?
Initially we were told the couple’s baby was coming in spring
2019.

Meghan has since revealed a little more, saying she was due at
the end of April or start of May.

So now all we can do is watch and wait.

Interestingly, two of the awaited baby’s cousins were both
born at a similar time – Prince Louis (23 April) and Princess
Charlotte (2 May).

Image copyright Duchess of Cambridge
Image caption Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte were also
spring babies

Is it a boy or a girl?
Who knows!

It’s unclear if the couple have even found out, but if they
have it’s definitely not public knowledge.

Meghan told well-wishers during a royal visit to Merseyside in
January that they didn’t know the sex of the baby.

But betting fans think they have the answer: a girl.

That’s the odds-on favourite with the bookmakers. A William
Hill spokesman said: “The gamble on a girl continues and it is
hard to believe that there is not some truth in the rumours.”

Where will Meghan give birth?
Remember the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepping outside
the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, central
London?

Image copyright Samir Hussein
Well that doesn’t look likely this time. Reports claim the
couple have ruled out that option because of the lack of
privacy.

Kensington Palace has said the duke and duchess want to keep
their plans private.

However, there has been speculation that Meghan is considering
a home birth.

     What is it like to have a home birth?

She wouldn’t be the first royal to do so. The Queen gave birth
to all four of her children at home.

If the duchess does give birth at home it will be at the
couple’s new pad in Windsor – Frogmore Cottage – which was
renovated for an estimated £3m ahead of their arrival earlier
this month.

Image copyright Graham Prentice/Alamy
Image caption Frogmore Cottage sits in the grounds of Frogmore
House, where Harry and Meghan held their wedding reception

Any idea what the baby will be
called?
That’s the million dollar question.

There aren’t any rules for choosing royal baby names, but the
decision is often guided by tradition.

Image copyright Martin Keene/PA

Image caption Unsurprisingly, the name Diana is among the
bookies’ favourites for Harry’s first child
If it’s a girl, the bookmakers’ favourites are Diana – Prince
Harry’s mother’s name – Victoria and Alice.

And if it’s a boy, Arthur and James are the favourites – but
they were also frontrunners for the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge’s third child last year.

Prince William and Catherine sprung something of a surprise by
opting for Louis instead.

What about the surname?
The child might not need one – if the new baby is given the
title of prince or princess (more on that later) a surname
isn’t necessary.

One option for Prince Harry and Meghan could be the Royal
Family name – Mountbatten-Windsor.

That was created by combining the surnames of the Queen and
Prince Philip when they married.

But the couple is much more likely to copy the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge by using the title given to them by the
Queen – Sussex.

Prince William and Catherine’s three children all have
Cambridge on their birth certificates.

Image copyright PA
Image caption Prince George’s birth certificate is produced
from the birth register entry

Will the baby become a prince or

princess?
You’d better ask the Queen, but in short – not automatically,
no.

The Queen brought in new rules for Prince William in 2012 so
that all his children would become princes or princesses.

Before then, only the eldest son of the eldest son of the
Prince of Wales (still with us?) was entitled to the honour –
that’s because King George V decided in 1917 to limit titles
within the Royal Family.

As it stands, Prince Harry and Meghan’s children will not get
those titles unless the Queen steps in.

What about other titles?
If the Queen doesn’t change the rules (see above), this is
where it gets a little complicated.

You may remember on the morning of Prince Harry’s wedding he
was given some titles from the Queen – Duke of Sussex, Earl of
Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel.

And, according to etiquette guide Debrett’s, the eldest son of
a duke can use one of his father’s “lesser” titles.

So if the child is a boy, it could become Earl of Dumbarton.

That only applies if it’s a boy, but a daughter could be Lady
(first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.

Could Harry and Meghan reject a
title?
Well it has happened before.

When the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, was offered royal
titles for her children – Peter and Zara – she turned them
down.

She wanted her children to have as normal lives as possible.

Image copyright Mark Cuthbert
Image caption Peter and Zara Phillips grew up without royal
titles
Zara Tindall has since told the Times: “My parents didn’t give
us titles, so we’ve been able to have a slightly more normal
upbringing. As soon as you’ve got a title, it’s very difficult
to shed it.”

So Prince Harry and Meghan, who haven’t been afraid to break
royal protocol, could choose to go the same route.

Could the baby become King or Queen
one day?
Yes, in theory, although there are already six royals ahead in
the queue.

Prince Harry and Meghan’s child will be seventh in line for
the throne – just behind the baby’s father in the order of
succession.

The new arrival’s cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte
and Prince Louis are all in front in the pecking order.

Will the baby be a US citizen?
Yes. As Meghan is still a US citizen, the royal baby will
become one as well.

Any American who has lived in the US for five years
automatically passes on their citizenship to their offspring.

     Harry and Meghan’s child to pay US taxes?

As her child will have been born outside the US, Meghan will
have to register the birth with the American embassy in
London.

Prince Harry is obviously British, so the new royal would have
dual citizenship.

Meghan is expected to apply for UK citizenship, but that
process takes time – she needs to live in the UK for at least
five years.

Once she is a UK citizen, the duchess could renounce her US
citizenship, but her child would have to wait until he or she
was at least 16.

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