Royal baby births: Where Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, the Queen and more welcomed their children

September 20, 2021 - 09:57 BST hellomagazine.com

1/20

The Royal Family has just welcomed a new member with the birth of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's daughter.

The little girl, whose name hasn't been announced yet, was born Sept. 18 at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. She weighed 6lbs 2oz, and mother and child are doing well.

How does her birth compare with other royals? Where have they given birth?

Scroll through the gallery – or click through, if you're on desktop – to get a better idea of where royals have welcomed their babies, from home to the hospital.

Photo: © Getty Images

2/20

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry's daughter, Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif. on June 4, and weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

With her birth, she became the first royal in the line of succession to have been born overseas!

Photo: © Getty Images

3/20

In March, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall welcomed their third child, a boy, who they named Lucas Philip!

His birth location was unlike any other royal to date! Lucas came into the world on the bathroom floor at their Gatcombe Park home!

"Fortunately, Zara's friend Dolly – she's actually more important than I am at making sure, she's been at all three of my children's births – she was there, and recognized that we wouldn't have gotten to the hospital in time," Mike said on his The Good, The Bad and the Rugby podcast on March 22, revealing Lucas had been born the day before.

"So yeah, it was run to the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, get the mat on the floor, towels down, brace, brace, brace."

Royals fans might not know Zara's grandfather, the late Prince Philip, was also delivered in a bit of an unusual way, too. In 1921, while Princess Alice of Battenberg was living at the villa of Mon Repos on the island of Corfu, she went into labour with her fifth child with Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. While royal home births aren't that odd, Philip was delivered on the dining room table!

Photo: © Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

4/20

There have actually been *three* royal babies born in 2021, and another one is also on the way! In February, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their son, August

The little lad was born at the Portland Hospital for Women and Children in London on Feb. 9, and weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce. He's not the only royal baby to have been born there! Portland is just one hospital that has been a favourite for royals to give birth in the past.

Photo: © Getty Images

5/20

Elizabeth, Duchess of York

The Queen Mother gave birth to her first child, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, at her parents' London home at 2:40 am on April 21, 1926. Earl and Countess Strathmore lived at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair and this made the little princess the first British monarch born at a private home rather than a palace since the Middle Ages, according to the Daily Mail. A home secretary was present at the birth, as per the tradition of having 'official witnesses' present, which ended when the Queen welcomed her own firstborn, Prince Charles.

Photo: © Speaight/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

6/20

Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen welcomed three of her four children at Buckingham Palace, continuing the tradition of home births assisted by midwives, royal doctors and nurses. Charles was born in the Belgian Suite on Nov. 14, 1948 while Prince Philip was playing squash. The labour reportedly took 30 hours and when the Duke of Edinburgh arrived after the birth with flowers, he said that his son "looks like a plum pudding."

Photo: © Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

7/20

Due to Buckingham Palace renovations, Princess Anne was born at her brother Charles's current home, Clarence House, on Aug. 15, 1950.

The Queen’s only daughter later broke with royal tradition at the birth of her son Peter Phillips by delivering in a hospital rather than her home.

Back at Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew followed on Feb. 19, 1960 and Prince Edward rounded out the royal brood on March 10, 1964.

Photo: © Keystone/Getty Images

8/20

Philip became the first modern royal father to be present for his child's birth when the couple welcomed Edward in 1964.

"The Duke of Edinburgh was actually holding his wife's hand as their youngest was born," says Ingrid Seward in her book, My Husband and I: The Inside Story Of 70 Years Of Royal Marriage.

"The Queen, by then aged 37, had asked him to be there; she’d been keenly reading women’s magazines that stressed the importance of involving fathers in childbirth and had become fascinated by the idea. Thus Philip became the first royal father in modern history to witness the arrival of one of his children."

Photo: © STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images

9/20

Princess Diana

Princess Diana and Prince Charles welcomed their first child, Prince William, at 9:03 am on June 21, 1982.

Following the footsteps of her sister-in-law, Anne, the Princess of Wales opted to deliver at the Lindo Wing, and her husband was by her side.

"I am so thankful I was beside Diana's bedside the whole time because by the end of the day I really felt as though I'd shared deeply the process of birth and as a result was rewarded by seeing a small creature which belonged to us even though he seemed to belong to everyone else as well!" he told his godmother in a letter, according to the Daily Mail.

Diana reportedly gave birth standing after being induced due to the "press pressure" she was under, she told biographer Andrew Morton, and had an epidural despite planning on a natural birth.

"If men had babies, they would only have one each," she later said of the pain.

Photo: © David Levenson/Getty Images

10/20

But the first six hours of her nine-hour labour with Prince Harry, who joined the fold on Sept. 15, 1984 at 4:20 pm, were decidedly relaxed. Back at the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital, the royal read a book!

During the natural birth, Diana "sucked on an ice cube to prevent dehydration during the delivery, while a nurse rubbed her chapped lips with cream."

Once Harry arrived, Charles went to announce the news to well-wishers outside the hospital, shaking hands and saying the little one is "absolutely marvellous. It didn’t matter whether it was a boy or a girl."

Photo: © Tim Graham/Getty Images

11/20

Princess Anne

The princess and husband Captain Mark Phillips welcomed the Queen's first grandchild, Peter Phillips, on Nov. 15, 1977.

Anne was also the first to break with tradition and deliver at St Mary’s Hospital rather than her home, and her husband, who was present at the birth, later reportedly said that the experience "was not everyone's cup of tea."

Their daughter, Zara, was also born in the Lindo Wing on May 15, 1981.

The parents declined offers of titles for their little ones following their births in the hopes of giving them more normal lives.

Photo: © Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

12/20

Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York welcomed their first daughter, Princess Beatrice, in a luxurious maternity suite at The Portland Hospital on Aug. 8, 1988 at 8:18 pm. Just 20 months later, Princess Eugenie joined the fold on March 23, 1990, a breeched baby born in the same hospital by c-section.

The Duke of York made the trip from his naval base in Devon for the delivery and the couple spent a week in the hospital before leaving with their new family member and greeting well-wishers.

Photo: © Georges De Keerle/Getty Images

13/20

Sophie, Countess of Wessex

The Queen’s youngest son, Edward, had to rush home from Mauritius for the unexpected premature birth of his daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, on Nov. 8, 2003. Sophie, Countess of Wessex delivered their first child 10 or 11 weeks early at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey by emergency c-section.

On Dec. 17, 2007, the couple was back at the same NHS hospital to welcome James, Viscount Severn, and in 2014 Sophie returned to Frimley Park to emotionally open a new neonatal unit.

Photo: © Ben Stansall/Getty Images

14/20

Autumn Phillips

The Canadian beauty, nee Autumn Kelly, married the Queen's oldest grandson, Peter, in 2008 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. Two years later they welcomed their first daughter Savannah, Prince George's favourite playmate, at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on Dec. 29, 2010.

Weighing in at 7 lbs, 4 oz, her little sister Isla joined the fold at the same Gloucester hospital on March 29, 2012.

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Zara Tindall

Just like her close friend Autumn, equestrian Zara welcomed both her daughters at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in the then-brand-new Stroud Maternity Unit, not far from their home on her mom Anne's Gatcombe Park estate.

Adorable Mia Grace was Zara and husband Mike Tindall’s first bundle of joy, born at 1:51 am on Jan. 17 and weighing in at 7 lbs, 12 oz.

The Queen’s granddaughter, who happily had an epidural, had her husband in the room for the entire labour and Mike cut the umbilical cord. A few hours later, the trio went home to begin their life as a family of three.

Almost a week later, the rugby player revealed his daughter's name on Twitter. When they debuted the baby in Hello!, the new parents said they hired a maternity nurse for four days when they brought Mia home before taking over the reigns themselves. “Mostly to learn bits and pieces like bathing and feeding and general routine,” Zara explained, adding that Mike is a hands-on dad who gets up with the baby during the night when early-morning practices allow.

16/20

The couple faced two devastating miscarriages before welcoming their second daughter, Lena Elizabeth, and bravely shared them with the public - one in 2016, just a month after they’d announced their pregnancy, and a second that they didn't reveal until after their second daughter was born. On June 19, 2018, Baby Lena broke a record at 9 lbs, 3 oz., clocking in as the heaviest royal baby in recent years. Once again, dad was in the room for the delivery and the couple shared her name in a statement nine days later, with Mike taking to Twitter to make sure his 150,000+ followers were pronouncing her moniker right, as "Lay-na." Just 12 days later, Zara, Mike and Mia attended the Celtic Manor Resort's Celebrity Cup gold tournament.

17/20

Duchess of Cambridge

Since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said "I do" in 2011, their brood has grown by three, all born in the luxe private facility at St Mary's Hospital in London and debuted on the steps of the Lindo Wing for their adoring fans to see.

The first to join 'the firm' was heir Prince George, entering the world on July 22 and weighing in at 8 lbs, 6 oz.

A mere two years later, he received a baby sister, Princess Charlotte, on May 2, 2015, weighing a little less than her big brother at 8 lbs, 3 oz.

George and Charlotte then became big siblings to the adorable 8 lbs, 7 oz Prince Louis, who entered the royal fold on April 23, 2018 – just before Prince Harry and Meghan got married.

18/20

For all of Kate's labours, the public is kept in the loop on social media, with updates when she enters the hospital as well as when each baby is born. William and Kate have a large team at their disposal for each delivery, including obstetricians, midwives, anaesthetists and paediatricians, and with rooms starting at around $10,000-per-night, the luxurious Lindo Wing offers post-labour massages, excellent food, luxe toiletries and even a wine and champagne list. At each delivery, the duchess’s stylist Natasha Archer and hairstylist Amanda Cook Tucker get the royal mom in perfect form for the baby's big debut, from her custom Jenny Packham dress to her bouncy blowout.

19/20

The couple chose not to use a baby nurse after welcoming George, experiencing their first run with a newborn and the sleepless nights it brings on their own.

The new mom took a six-week maternity leave and the family's beloved nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, started when their firstborn was eight months old.

Kate took a four-month leave after giving birth to Charlotte and a little over six months following Prince Louis's arrival.

20/20

There was a lot of speculation about where Meghan would give birth to her first child with Harry in 2019. It was thought the couple might even opt for a home birth.

Like Eugenie and Jack's boy, Archie came into the world at the Portland Hospital for Women and Children, arriving at 5:26 a.m. local time on May 6, 2019.