20 Pregnancy Traditions The British Royal Family Must Follow When Welcoming A New Baby

With Meghan Markle’s delivery due in Spring, the zeal to see the youngest member of the British Royal family can be felt in the United Kingdom and around the world. However, even before the royal baby arrives in the world, there are some protocols that the family has to follow.

Rules such as these:

1. At the time a royal member is expecting a child, The Queen must be the first person to know. The same rule applies during delivery.

2. The royal family in the United Kingdom does not have the tradition of holding a Baby shower. However, Meghan Markle received a baby shower from her close friends from America and Canada.

3. The Royal family of the United Kingdom does not reveal the gender of the child before the public appearence of the new born.

4. Royals announce their pregnancies to the public at about the 12-week mark.

5. When a member of the royal family is expecting, they are required to limit their travel and are discouraged from traveling internationally during their pregnancy.

6.The royal pregnancy traditions forbid the royal women who are expecting to wear lower cut outfits.

7. Royals are, as a general rule, expected to wear closed-toed shoes. This rule still applies during pregnancy, even if the royal mother-to-be in question is dealing with swollen feet or ankles.

8. The royal household has its own official gynecologist who oversees all royal births. Alan Farthing is the current surgeon-gynecologist to the royal household.

9. Royal babies further down the line of succession are more likely to have a unique or untraditional name. This gives Prince Harry and Meghan some flexibility in naming their child since he or she will be seventh in the line of succession.

10. Members of the royal family get at least three names like Charlotte Elizabeth Diana (Princess Charlotte) or Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (Queen Elizabeth II).

11. Royal babies actually have no official surname. They are known by the names of the county they belong. This means Harry and Meghan’s child will use ‘Sussex’ as his or her last name.

12. The birth announcement is displayed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace and reveals details about the baby’s gender and time of birth.

13. For their world debut, royal babies are traditionally wrapped in a blanket made by Nottingham-based knitwear company G.H. Hurt & Sons.

14. Royal moms do get to take maternity leave, the length of which can vary. During this, they are exempt from making their usual appearances and performing their official royal duties.

15. Since 1841, every royal baby has been christened in an identical robe which was originally made for the christening of Queen Victoria’s oldest daughter.

16. When a royal baby is born, there is a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London as a sign of respect or welcome.

17. The birth is announced by an unofficial town crier. The current town crier is Tony Appleton and he has announced the births of both Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

18. For years, the royal family basically cut the non-royal grandparents out of the whole pregnancy process. Thankfully, this has changed and Meghan’s mom Doria Ragland is actively taking part in all of the important birth-related events.

19. Starting with William, paternity leave became an official royal baby tradition with him taking unpaid paternity leave from the Royal Air Force for the births of George and Charlotte.

20. New moms in the royal family make their first post-delivery public appearance very quickly, within hours of giving birth. However, as per the reports, it is still unclear whether if Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will make a public appearance with the newborn.