Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has made a habit of modernizing Britain's royal family -- but the upcoming birth of her first child is set to overturn today's norms, harking back instead to the Windsor clan's past.
The duchess is expected to follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II herself, by giving birth to her baby at home -- and she has reportedly hired a doula, or birth companion, to help her through the process.
That would mean that, unlike her sister-in-law, Kate, or her late mother-in-law, Diana, Meghan wouldn't step into the glare of the world's media hours after giving birth. Both royals appeared for a photo call outside the Lindo Wing -- the private maternity ward at St. Mary's hospital in west London -- shortly after the delivery of their children.
The baby's due date is not known. Harry and Meghan have only said the child will be born in the spring of 2019.
The private couple will be pleased that some royal birthing traditions have been consigned to history.
"It used to be that the prime minister had to sit in on the birth of a royal baby, centuries ago, to verify that the child was in fact the child of the Queen -- and not one that had been smuggled in under a blanket," royal biographer Penny Junor told CNN.
There are "traces of that process" in the expectation that royal mothers appear in front of the media with their newborns, Junor says. "There's a hint of the past in that performance ... 'Here is the baby. I want you to be the first to see it.'"
"This is the country's baby, in a way," she explains.
But it's precisely the intensity of that spotlight that could explain Meghan's possible decision to give birth at the newly renovated Frogmore Cottage, rather than in the hospital.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana appeared outside the Lindo Wing following the birth of Prince Harry in September 1984.
"You can understand her desire ... it must be pretty stressful to be in labor, let alone knowing that the eyes of the world are waiting and watching the door for you to come out," Junor notes. "If you can have a private birth with just the father or the doula, it's more relaxed and you can enjoy the moment."
Experts were surprised, however, at reports that Meghan has favored her own team of doctors over the Queen's.
"I would find it strange that the couple wouldn't want the royal family's personal doctors," Junor says. "If you're in the royal family and being offered the services of the best doctors that money can buy, it does seem strange that you would turn your back on that."
12-04-2019 - Vidéo Prince Harry / Meghan Markle /