56 Royal Pregnancy, Birth, and Baby Rules That’ll Blow Your Mind
How many cannons went off when YOU were born? That’s what I thought.
Look, we all know someone who’s way too extra about their pregnancy. But no one is more extra about baby making than the royal family, who have all kinds of intense rules in place when it comes to welcoming new BBs into this world. Like, did you know royal moms typically don’t have baby showers? And that the royals all use the same ancient lace christening gown for their kids—dating back to Queen Victoria? And that a buncha cannons go off when a royal baby is born?
We're revisiting some of the wildest royal pregnancy, birth, and baby rules now that multiple members of the royal family are pregnant / just had a kid—including Duchess Meghan Markle who's expecting a daughter with Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie who just welcomed her cute son August into the world, and Zara Tindall who is pregnant with baby #3!
Just FYI before we get started that this year might look a little different when it comes to royal baby traditions considering coronavirus restrictions are still very much in place in England. (Like, I'm thinking there won't be any public christenings.) On top of that, Meghan Markle is no longer a working member of the royal family, so she and Prince Harry will definitely be doing their own thing over in California. Though, honestly, the Queen *better* still arrange for cannons to go off in London when their daughter is born later this summer, just saying!
The Queen Finds Out About the Birth Before Anyone Else
Protocol dictates that Her Majesty the Queen finds out about royal births before anyone else—even the newborn’s grandparents. Apparently when Prince George was born, Prince William called Elizabeth II on an encrypted phone to tell her the good news.
But don’t worry, they didn't forget about Kate’s family of normals. Per Vanity Fair, “Then there were calls to Kate’s parents in Bucklebury, her sister and brother, Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince Harry, all of whom were relieved and elated in equal measure.”
News of a Royal Pregnancy Is Announced After 12 Weeks
This is one tradition that’s actually pretty in line with most other expectant parents: royals wait to announce until the end of the first trimester.
Pregnant Royals Keep Their Toes Covered
It’s royal dress code to wear closed-toed shoes, and apparently the rule applies no matter how swollen a pregnant woman’s feet get? And if you’re thinking, “Well, then I’d just go with comfy sneakers,” lol, that’s definitely not happening. Royal women tend to be seen with heels—not even flats—throughout their entire pregnancy.
Royal Moms Don’t Have Baby Showers
Despite reports that Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton threw her a baby shower before Prince George’s birth, royal experts say that was most likely fake news.
First of all, baby showers aren't as much of a ~thing~ in England, and royal expert Victoria Arbiter explains that, considering the royals are “very wealthy … a lavish baby shower would be seen as highly inappropriate.” Of course, this doesn’t mean Kate’s closest friends didn't give her gifts. Royal babies go through diapers just as fast as regular babies, after all. There just probably wasn’t an official party and a gift exchange.
But Meghan Markle Had One!
Possibly because she’s an American and baby showers are more of a thing on this side of the pond, Meghan Markle went ahead and opted out of the “no baby showers” rule. The Suits actress and her friends gathered for a very extravagant baby shower in NYC, and it was, by all accounts, amazing.
Meghan's Shower Caused Some Inevitable Drama
Some people in the UK were pretty peeved by Meghan having a baby shower (🙄 )—including Queen Elizabeth’s former press spokesman, who called it “a bit over the top.” Literally not sure why anyone thinks they get to have an opinion about Meghan wanting to hang with her friends and celebrate her pregnancy, but okay.
Royal Midwives Are *Always* Involved
Royal moms might give birth in hospitals these days (the Lindo Wing is a particular fave), but they still use midwives—even when doctors, nurses, and a special royal gyno are on hand.
It’s traditional for members of the family to have midwives by their side for labor and delivery (Kate had three!), and apparently they’re sworn to secrecy. Here’s Princess Anne leaving the Lindo Wing with her son Peter, flanked by a veritable army of people who helped out during the big moment. FYI, Anne set the royal trend of giving birth at the Lindo Wing, and was followed by Diana and Kate.
But the Royal Birth Team Is Sworn to Absolute Secrecy
To prevent details about royal births being leaked, the medical team that helps deliver the royal baby must vow total discretion when they take on the job.
And the Royal Birth Team Is Also Sworn to...Sobriety?
To make sure they’re ready for royal baby action at any moment during the third trimester, the royal birth team is asked to abstain from alcohol (and traveling!) for three full months.
The Lindo Wing Is Generally Where Royals Give Birth
It’s not a rule or anything, but over the past 40 or so years, the royal family has favored the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London as the place to give birth. But actually, the royal family used to favor home births—Queen Elizabeth had all four of her children at home!
A Government Official Used to Attend All Royal Births
In a very weird flex by the British government, it used to be customary for an official to attend royal births. The tradition stopped when Queen Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles in 1948.
Royals Typically “Debut” Their Baby Right After Birth
Yep, that’s right—KMid got full hair and makeup, and stepped into heels mere hours after pushing a literal human out of her body. (In fact, one of the first indicators that she had given birth to Prince George back in 2013 was when her hairdresser was spotted sneaking into the Lindo Wing.)
This practice seems to have become standard protocol ever since royals began delivering babies strictly in the hospital. Diana debuted her kiddos post-delivery, as did Princess Anne (with her fleet of nurses and midwives!), and Sarah Ferguson.
In Fact, Here’s Sarah Ferguson Debuting Baby Beatrice
Wow, her hair is SOMETHING else. Bow in the presence of feathery greatness.
And Princess Diana Debuting Baby Harry!
Wait, Diana’s hair is even more iconic.
But, Er, Meghan and Harry Were Not Asked to Participate in This Tradition
At the time of Archie's birth, the Palace released a statement saying, “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.” But Meghan told Oprah that because the royal family did not want to give Archie the title of "prince," the photo-call was not a tradition they had access to: "That's also part of the spin that was really damaging. I thought, 'Can you just tell them the truth? Can you say to the world you're not giving him a title, and we want to keep him safe, and that if he's not a prince then it's not part of the tradition?'" she said. "Just tell people and then they'll understand. But they wouldn't do that."
Princess Eugenie Also Opted Out
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack decided to introduce their baby to the world on Instagram—a pretty big departure from the steps of the Lindo Wing.
There’s a 62-Gun Salute From the Tower of London
Was there a gun salute after your birth? Didn’t think so. But when a royal baby is born, 62 guns go off from the Tower of London. Gun salutes are actually pretty common across the pond—they’re fired on important dates throughout the year, including the Queen’s birthday.
And Yeah, There’s a Specific Reason Why It’s 62 Rounds
I think we can all agree that 62 seems like an incredibly random number, but there’s actually a reason why so many salutes are fired from the Tower of London. While a basic salute is 21 rounds fired, an extra 20 are added because the Tower of London is a royal palace, and then an additional 21 are fired because it’s in the City of London—all of which adds up to a grand total of 62 rounds. The whole thing usually lasts around 10 minutes.
British Landmarks Light Up to Celebrate Royal Births
If the 10 minutes of gunfire doesn’t alert Londoners that a royal baby has arrived, the illuminated landmarks probably do the trick. The London tower, the Golden Jubilee Bridges, Trafalgar Square, and the London Eye are just a few of the iconic landmarks that light up with either blue or pink (depending on the gender of the baby) or England’s colors of red, white, and blue after a royal baby is born.
The Flag Is Also Raised Across England to Celebrate the Baby’s Birth
Again, there is literally no escaping royal baby news for the British! Once the news of a royal birth is announced, Union Jacks are flown from all government buildings, royal naval ships, and defense establishments.
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