Royal baby: What giving birth in the Lindo Wing is really like

Afternoon tea, massages and champagne are all on offer

The Duchess of Sussex is due to give birth in the coming weeks. While Kensington Palace has not yet confirmed where her delivery will take place, if she is to follow in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cambridge, it will be in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, London.

Responsible for delivering some of the country’s most high-profile offspring – George and Amal Clooney’s twin daughters were born there in 2017 – the esteemed maternity ward is one of the most exclusive around, but what’s it like to give birth there?

One London-based mother has revealed all about the luxury ward as she experienced it when seven months ago when she delivered her daughter, Isla.

The couple praised the staff as ‘absolutely fantastic’ (Hello Magazine)

Speaking to Hello Magazine, Katherine Filkins said she received the full royal treatment as a guest in the Lindo Wing.

The 38-year-old mother-of-two explained that no element of opulence goes amiss, with afternoon tea, post-delivery massages and champagne all included in the maternity package.

With prices starting at £5,900 per night, Filkins’ experience is obviously not one available to most people and is every bit as exclusive as you’d imagine.

While the Canadian-born mother had originally booked a standard room, one wasn’t available at the time she went into labour and she was therefore upgraded to a deluxe suit.

“We were lead to believe is where the royals also stay,” she tells the magazine.

Filkins endured 81 hours of labour before having a caesarean birth (Hello Magazine)

“It was a very large room we could have all of our relatives there the next day we could have sat six people comfortably,” she adds, likening the deluxe room to a hotel suite as it was kitted out with plush toiletries and an extensive food and drink menu.

Filkins also explained that her husband, Martin, was treated exceptionally well and was waited on hand and foot by the ward’s attentive staff.

There is also a supervised nursery in the wing, giving parents the option of having a little time away from their newborns, should they want a break.

Plus, the ward’s staff are under strict instructions to be discrete in order to make guests feel as comfortable and secure as possible, which will undoubtedly be appealing to high-profile guests.

The couple praised the staff at the Lindo Wing for their sterling service, adding that they were “very chuffed” to have the opportunity to give birth in the same wing as the royal family.