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Sounds Like Meghan Markle May Not Give Birth At The Lindo Wing After All

by Alana Romain

Queen Elizabeth II may have given birth to all four of her children at home, but these days, it seems the Lindo Wing at London's St. Mary's Hospital is the place to welcome tiny new royals. Princess Diana and Prince Charles welcomed both Prince William and Prince Harry at the private maternity ward in the 80s, and Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, also chose the Lindo Wing for the births of their three children. But will Meghan Markle give birth at the Lindo Wing when she and Prince Harry welcome their first child this spring? According to a new report from the Daily Mail, it's possible they may not actually have their baby in London at all.

Ever since the couple announced in October that they're expecting, it was more or less assumed that the world would be seeing Meghan, Harry, and their newborn posing for photographers on the Lindo Wing steps, William-and-Kate style. Not only is the hospital an obvious royal favorite (even Duchess Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, chose the Lindo Wing for her son's birth a few months back, according to Hello! Magazine), it's also a stone's throw from Nottingham Cottage, the couple's home at Kensington Palace.

But now that they've opted out of moving into a larger apartment on the palace grounds, it seems the Lindo Wing may no longer be the top choice after all.

Given that the couple's current two-bedroom cottage was more or less Prince Harry's one-time bachelor pad, the soon-to-be parents were expected to eventually move into Kensington Palace's Apartment 1, a 21-bedroom residence that had undergone extensive renovations, seemingly in preparation to become the couple's marital home, according to the Daily Mail.

Once again, it seemed like a pretty obvious pick, given that Prince William, Kate, and their three children actually already live next door in the adjoining Apartment 1a. But in November, The Sun reported that Meghan and Harry had instead opted to move to Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, which is outside of London and where they had their wedding in May.

With Frogmore being outside of London, giving birth at the Lindo Wing no longer makes quite as much sense. So where could Meghan end up delivering? One likely option, according to the Daily Mail, is Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, which is about a 30-minute drive from the Windsor Castle residence (the Lindo Wing, on other other hand, would take nearly an hour). But by staying closer to home, it sounds like Meghan definitely be giving up some of the perks available to her in London.

For one, according to The Sun, Frimley Park is a public hospital, which means the facilities are much more basic than the posh private Lindo Wing, which offers new mothers chef-prepared meals (complete with a wine list), afternoon tea service, and even postnatal massage. Given that Kate left the hospital within hours of actually delivering her children, it's unlikely that she actually got to enjoy any of that, and if Meghan does choose Frimley Park, it's pretty safe to assume she'll get VIP treatment anyway.

But despite being relatively no-frills, Frimley Park still has a royal connection: according to the Daily Mail, it's where Prince Harry's aunt, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, delivered her two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

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Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry definitely don't seem to have any qualms about charting their own path as royal newlyweds, so it isn't really all that surprising that they may be considering giving birth somewhere other than the Lindo Wing. And though a hospital like Frimley Park definitely seems like a downgrade in terms of fancy amenities, it'll probably still be very much worth it to have a hospital closer to their soon-to-be home. Let's just hope whichever hospital they choose is prepared for some serious crowds.

After a very frustrating first birth experience, this Deaf mother wanted a change. Will the help of two Deaf doulas give the quality communication and birth experience this mom wants and deserves? Watch Episode Four of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below, and visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes.