Meghan Markle: When is the royal baby due and where will Duchess of Sussex give birth?

The Duchess of Sussex's pregnancy was announced five months after the royal wedding

With the Duchess of Sussex due to give birth to her first child in the coming weeks, excitement is brewing as to whether she and the Duke of Sussex will have a boy or a girl.

While we can't be certain of the sex of the baby until it's formally announced by Kensington Palace following the birth, there are several aspects of the pregnancy that we have more concrete evidence of.

From the due date to whether or not the Queen will grant the child a title, here's everything we know about the royal baby so far:

When was the pregnancy announced?

On 15 October 2018, Kensington Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expecting their first child.

The palace stated that the royal couple were "very pleased" to be able to share their news with the world.

How did members of the royal family react to the birth announcement?

On Friday 12 October, two days before the duchess' pregnancy was revealed, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.

The couple reportedly informed the royal family of the news while celebrating the marriage of Prince Harry's first cousin in Windsor.

Kensington Palace stated that the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were all "delighted" for Prince Harry and Markle.

The palace also said that the duchess' mother, Doria Ragland, was "very happy about the lovely news".

While visiting a distillery in the Scottish Highlands two days after the royal baby was announced, Prince Charles was asked by a reporter if he'd "toasted" the news.

"Absolutely. Several times," the Prince of Wales responded.

When is the baby due?

When the news of Markle's pregnancy came to light, it was announced she was due to give birth in spring 2019.

While the palace hasn't revealed any further details about the due date, rumours have been circulating regarding when the duchess may go into labour.

During a visit to Birkenhead, Merseyside in January 2019, Markle told well-wishers that she's six months pregnant, and therefore likely to give birth near the end of April or at the beginning of May.

When did the duchess make her first public appearance following the announcement?

Hours after it was announced that Prince Harry and Markle were expecting their first child together, the royal couple made a public appearance at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia.

The visit was the first official stop of their 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

Markle wore a white dress by Australian designer Karen Gee during the visit, which caused the designer's website to crash due to a rapid influx of online shoppers.

What have the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said about the baby?

While attending a cycling event as part of the 2018 Sydney Invictus Games, a spectator called out to Prince Harry saying that they hope the royal baby will be a girl.

"So do I," the duke responded.

Earlier this month, the Duchess of Sussex took part in a panel discussion in celebration of International Women's Day.

During the talk, Markle admitted that she hopes to impart her feminist beliefs on her "little bump".

Referencing Johanna Demetrakas’s 2018 film Feminists – What Were They Thinking? Markle said: “I’d seen this documentary on Netflix on feminism and one of the things they said during pregnancy was, ‘I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism’.

“I love that. So boy or girl or whatever it is, we hope that that’s the case, our little bump," she added.

When did the duchess' baby shower take place?

The Duchess of Sussex's baby shower was held at the Mark Hotel in New York City in February.

Co-hosted by two of Markle's close friends, tennis star Serena Williams and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, other celebrity guests at the bash included the duchess' former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, television personality Gayle King and stylist Jessica Mulroney.

It's believed the duchess will have a second baby shower in London, with some speculating that the event will be hosted by her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge.

What designers has the duchess worn during her pregnancy?

Markle has raised the sartorial stakes throughout her pregnancy, wearing maternity clothing created by fashion designers including Givenchy and Reiss.

While visiting the Bristol Old Vic in February, the duchess opted for a floaty Oscar de la Renta dress adorned with floral and wildlife imagery.

During a visit to the Natural History Museum later that month, the royal opted for an all-white ensemble, pairing a turtleneck Calvin Klein dress with an Amanda Wakeley coat.

To take a look at Markle's best maternity looks, click here.

Where is the duchess due to give birth?

While Kensington Palace hasn't revealed where the Duchess of Sussex has chosen to give birth, some believe she may follow in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cambridge by giving birth at the Lindo Wing in St Mary's Hospital, London.

The Lindo Wing is home to a private maternity ward, where several royal births have taken place.

In April 2018, the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her third child, Prince Louis, in the hospital wing, following the births of Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince George in 2013.

Other high profile figures to have given birth at the Lindo Wing include Amal Clooney and the Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa Middleton.

When will the birth be announced?

On Thursday 11 April, Buckingham Palace announced that the duke and duchess intend on keeping the arrival of their baby a secret.

A statement released by the palace says that Prince Harry and Ms Markle "have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private".

"The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family," the statement reads.

According to royal commentator Omid Scobie, the royal couple's decision shouldn't come as a surprise.

"They know that everyone wants to celebrate with them, and they’ll facilitate that," he tells The Independent.

"But for that private, special moment, they want to keep it to themselves. We know from sources that Meghan is quite nervous ahead of the birth."

What will the baby's name be?

While we can't be sure what the baby will be called until the name is announced by Kensington Palace in the days following the birth, we can hasten a guess based on past royal traditions.

The royal family tends to stick to convention when naming babies, the most popular name for baby boys being Albert and the most popular name among girls being Victoria.

Nonetheless, there's a possibility Prince Harry and Markle may choose to break away from tradition, considering they're further away from the throne than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

“The further down the line of succession, the more likely you are to have a more unique or untraditional name,” said Carolyn Harris, professor of history at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and author of Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting.

The baby's name doesn't technically have be approved by the Queen, royal commentator Kate Williams states.

What will the baby’s title be?

On the other hand, the baby's royal title will be chosen by the Queen.

In 1917, a Letters Patent instated by King George V ensured that only the eldest son of the Prince of Wales' eldest son would be entitled to the titles of His Royal Highness and Prince.

However, Queen Elizabeth II revised this decree in 2012, declaring that all of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children would be given the titles of Royal Highness and Prince or Princess, regardless of whether they were the eldest, a boy or a girl.

Meanwhile, the Queen's other grandchildren are to be known as Lord or Lady, and not referred to as His or Her Royal Highness.

According to ABC news royal contributor Imogen Lloyd Webber, it's unlikely the Queen will issue another new decree for Prince Harry and Markle's first child.

“There aren’t really grounds for it,” Webber says. “At the end of the day, would Meghan and Harry even want that? Harry has been very honest about being troubled on some levels about being a member of the royal family.

"And Meghan is the first self-made woman to marry into the royal family, and she’s an American."

What will the baby’s surname be?

According to the royal family's website, members of the family may be known by both the name of their royal house and by their surname.

However, this hasn't always be the case.

Prior to 1917, the British royal family didn't have a surname.

This changed following a meeting of the Privy Council on 17 July 1917, during which King George V stated that “all descendants in the male line of Queen Victoria, who are subjects of these realms, other than female descendants who marry or who have married, shall bear the name of Windsor”.

While the royal family name is Windsor, in 1960, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh decided that any of their descendants who weren't known as Royal Highnesses, Princes, or Princesses, and female descendants who marry, would use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

On the birth certificates of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, all of the children are noted as having the surname "Cambridge", in reference to their parents' dukedom.

As such, it's widely believed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's child will take the surname "Sussex".

Will the baby have dual citizenship?

According to the US Department of State, a baby born outside the United States to one American parent can acquire US citizenship if the American parent has been present in the country prior to the birth for at least five years.

Two of these years have to have been spent in the country before they turned 14.

As Markle was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California, this would mean that the royal baby would be able to apply for dual citizenship.

However, should Markle choose to renounce her citizenship, this would become less likely.

What claim will the baby have to the throne?

When the royal baby is born, it will be seventh in line to the throne.

The baby will follow behind its father Prince Harry, who's sixth in line, and its three cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The law used to dictate that male siblings were automatically placed before their sisters in the line of succession, even if they were younger.

However, this law changed in March 2015, when it was announced that royal babies born after 28 October 2011 would maintain their position in the line of succession, regardless of their sex.

How are the duke and duchess celebrating the upcoming birth of their baby?

Earlier this month, a social media campaign launched by an anonymous member of the public encouraged people around the world to carry out charitable acts in celebration of the royal baby.

Dubbed #GlobalSussexBabyShower, the organiser, a Twitter user who goes by the handle @freepeeper, stated that the fundraiser was launched “in honour” of the baby and “the compassion and altruism” of Ms Markle and Prince Harry.

While the campaign had no official connection to the royal family, the Sussexes later used their newly launched Instagram account to thank those who donated to charity in the name of the initiative.

“What an incredibly special surprise the grassroots led #globalsussexbabyshower was last Sunday!” the Instagram caption read.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support in anticipation of the birth of their first child.”

The caption stated that the couple had “long planned” to ask members of the public to make charitable donations instead of gifts “for children and parents in need”.

The royal couple have asked that those wishing to donate to charity in their honour consider four organisations chosen specifically by them.

These charities are the Lunchbox Fund, which provides hot meals to schoolchildren in need; Baby2Baby, which gives basic necessities to children living in poverty; WellChild, which supports children and young people living with serious illnesses; and Little Village, which gives children’s clothes, toys and other items to families in need.

Where will the baby live?

In November, it was announced that Prince Harry and Markle would be relocating from Nottingham Cottage​ in Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

The royal couple had lived in Nottingham Cottage since they announced their engagement the previous year.

In January, it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be settling in their new residence in March, prior to the birth of their baby.

Frogmore House has been a royal residence since 1792, the royal family's website states.

The Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and parents of the monarch, spent part of their honeymoon on the estate.