Everything We Know About Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Royal Baby

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s baby is only a few months away from gracing us with its royal presence. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the pregnancy on Oct, 15. It also happened to be the first day of their royal tour that took them to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019,” Kensington Palace announced in a statement that day. “Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”

The news of Meghan’s pregnancy came just about five months after their May 19, 2018 nuptials at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Since then, she’s allowed her baby bump to take center stage in many of her royal outings.

On Monday, the Duchess shared some tidbits about her due date during at outing in Birkenhead, Merseyside, including her due date.

Here’s everything we know so far about Meghan and Harry’s baby.

While at their stop in Hamilton Square, Meghan said she was about six months pregnant. That puts her due date at the end of April or early May.

The Duchess sort of hinted at the baby’s arrival on Christmas Day when the royals (including Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Charles) attended services at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. One royal fan, Kate Anvil, told E! News she briefly spoke to the former Suits star that day and asked her about the baby. “She said, ‘We are excited. We’re nearly there. I said, ‘Enjoy every moment, being a mother is a wonderful thing,'” Anvil shared.

Anvil also told E! News that Meghan immediately brightened up when she mentioned the pregnancy. “She was so genuine. She was doing her duty as a royal with the crowds, shaking hands, etc.,” Anvil explained. “But when I asked her about the baby, she changed totally. She was glowing and instinctively went for her stomach. It was lovely.”

In November, the soon-to-be parents announced that they would move out of Kensington Palace and into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. The palace confirmed the couple would move in early 2019 “as they prepare for the arrival of their first child.” So for the time being, the new royal baby won’t be running into Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in the halls of their 20-room Kensington Palace apartment.

Unlike Kate Middleton and other royals, Meghan reportedly won’t give birth at the Lindo Wing in St. Mary’s Hospital in London. According to Vanity Fair, the Duchess might be eyeing a home birth at their Frogmore Cottage home. Another option is apparently Frimley Park Hospital in Surery.

The royals are reportedly building a nursery for the baby as well as an area for Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland.

Similar to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s strategy, the sex of the baby is under wraps. According to Daily Mail reporter Rebecca English, “Meghan said she didn’t know whether they were having a boy or a girl. She said she wants it to be a surprise!”

Although Meghan and Harry’s baby will be a royal, he or she won’t have the title of Prince or Princess. Instead, the baby girl will become a Lady and their first son will likely be named the Earl of Dumbarton.

According to the odds, most people think their daughter will be named Diana for Harry and William’s late mother, Princess Diana. Victoria is another favored option, which would be an homage to Queen Victoria.

On the male side, bookies are placing bets on the name Alexander. While on their royal tour, Prince Harry told a crowd of children in Australia that they received a “long list of names” from people and they would “sit down and have a look at them.”

Prince Charles gave his two cents on Nov. 23 about the name options. He joked, “I suspect that Kylie and Shane may possibly make the short list. But ladies and gentlemen I would not hold your breath for Edna or Les.”

While the British side of the family has remained positive about the baby news, there’s some tension with Meghan’s notoriously difficult side of the family.

On the day of the pregnancy announcement, her half-sister Samantha Markle offered her best wishes during an interview with The Sun. “It just makes everything that happened over the last year disappear. I want Meghan to be happy and calm and have peace. Everybody needs to be positive,” Meghan’s estranged sister said. 

Samantha also said she hopes their father Thomas Markle has some part in the baby’s life. “If he is excluded, I won’t be happy. It is in the best interests of the baby for my dad to be included,” she said.

Two days later during an interview with DailyMailTV, Samantha apologized for any bad blood between them. “I’m so excited, I’m so happy for you and I really, really am sorry for any of the past tension and confusion and misunderstandings and asinine things I’ve said when I just didn’t understand what was going on and I wanted things to work out for my dad,” she told the show.

Tension has since reignited after a slew of negative tweets about Meghan and Harry’s Christmas card. She reportedly has even been placed on the palace’s “Fixated Persons List.”

Thomas is reportedly “delighted” for his daughter and the arrival of his future grandchild. He told The Mail on Sunday on Oct. 20, “I was filled with love, joy and happiness for both my beautiful daughter and my son-in-law. A new baby is a blessing and I look forward to seeing a little Meghan or a little Harry.”

A few months after their wedding (which Thomas didn’t attend due to reported health reasons), he claimed Meghan “cut me off completely” during a different interview with Mail on Sunday in July. He mentioned what would happen if Meghan were to become pregnant and the possibility of never meeting his grandchild.

“What’s sad is that some time in the next year Meghan and Harry will have a baby and I’ll be a grandfather. And if we’re not speaking, I won’t see my grandchild,” he said at the time. “How tragic is that—to deprive a child of its grandfather because I said a few things critical of the Royal Family?”