Royal baby watch: Where will Meghan Markle have her baby? Due date, godparents and all you need to know ahead of the birth

The birth of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s first child is just around the corner.

Kensington Palace first announced the pair were expecting their first child last October, and while there’s no word on what gender their baby will be, the royals have been dropping hints here and there as to when Meghan Markle’s due date is.

Fans of the royals are convinced that Meghan Markle will be giving birth today, which would mean the Sussex's new addition could share a birthday with Prince Louis who turns one today. According to bookmakers.tv, many have put money on an imminent announcement.

Philip Trampe, a spokesperson for the company, said, “The latest betting definitely suggests there could be a baby announcement around the corner, perhaps even today, as bookies face the biggest royal betting frenzy of all time.”

A new giveaway that the royal baby is soon to arrive is the presence of Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, who has reportedly flown in to support her daughter.

Entertainment Tonight reported on Sunday that Ragland had landed in London and another source told The Sun, “Like all mums, Doria wants to be there for her daughter at this seismic event in her life. She has sometimes worried about being so far away but she is absolutely going to be there for her at the birth.”

The source continued, “She wants to spend as much time as possible with her first grandchild and has come over for a sustained period of time. Meghan also wanted to show off her new house to her mum and the two have been enjoying spending time together.”

When the child is born he or she will be seventh in the line of succession, after Prince Harry who is sixth.

For more on when we can expect a new addition to the Sussex clan, here’s what we know so far...

What is Meghan Markle’s due date?

Kensington Palace has been deliberately (and understandably) vague about the expected Meghan Markle due date.

In the couple’s official birth announcement on Twitter, the Palace said simply, “The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019.”

Since then, Markle has given away a couple of small hints while speaking to members of the public. When she stepped out in Birkenhead in January, royal correspondent Emily Nash reported that Meghan Markle had given away that she was “six months pregnant” - meaning she was likely to be due “end of April/beginning of May”.

At Prince Charles' Buckingham Palace reception this week, Meghan was also filmed chatting with the Welsh Secretary of State, Alun Cairns. Cairns asked her if she was "all in good order", to which Markle said, "we're nearly there!"

A few beady-eyed royalists are also convinced that the baby is more likely to be born in April, based on a theory about the three stacked rings Meghan wore while on tour in Australia last year. One Twitter user had a theory that the three colourful rings by Canadian jewellery brand Ecksand actually represent the birthstones of the Sussexes.

According to the theory, the green stone represents an August peridot for Meghan, a September blue sapphire for Harry and a white diamond for April.

Of course, the theory has never actually been confirmed, but it's a nice thought.

George Clooney also threw a spanner into the works when he revealed on February 12 that Meghan Markle was "seven months pregnant". According to BabyCentre, due dates are scheduled for 40 weeks which would more likely tip Meghan into early to mid-May.

The gender of the baby has also been a hot topic of speculation, given that Meghan Markle’s friend Serena Williams may have let the secret slip. In an interview with E! News, Williams referred to an unnamed pregnant “friend” and while recounting an experience a gender-specific pronoun slipped out.

Williams said, “My friend is pregnant and she's like, ‘Oh, my kid's gonna do this,’ and I just looked at her and I was like, ‘No, she's not.’”

What will the royal baby’s star sign be?

Even though we don’t know when the baby will be born, he or she will most likely be a Taurus - Tauruses are born between April 20 and May 20, fitting into the "end of April/beginning of May" time frame. Some believe that a horoscope is reflected in a personality and according to Horoscope.com, Tauruses are “smart, ambitious and trustworthy”.

Given that the Taurus is symbolised by a bull, it comes as no surprise that they’re also known for being stubborn. However, Horoscope.com added that they aren’t totally unreasonable as they’re “willing to see another point of view”.

It also appears that the newest Sussex could also take after his or her mother’s work ethic, as it adds, “With a rep as one of the hardest-working signs in the Zodiac, a Bull is never afraid to roll up those sleeves and get to work, and won't blink an eye at pulling an all-nighter to get the job done."

Where will Meghan Markle give birth?

In the 1980s Princess Diana ushered in a new royal birth tradition: having her baby at St Mary’s Hospital’s private Lindo Wing in London. But just as Princess Diana broke with tradition by having a hospital rather than a home birth, it is being speculated that Meghan Markle might not follow in her (and Kate's) footsteps.

Vanity Fair reported that the Sussexes are planning to have the baby in Windsor, close to their new home Frogmore Cottage, where they apparently plan to move to prior to the birth. Given that would mean they're a little distance from London, getting to the Lindo Wing in a pinch might be a bit of a nightmare, so Harry and Meghan could potentially look at hospitals in or around Windsor instead.

Vanity Fair also reported that Meghan Markle might be opting for a home birth at their new abode. While renovations to Frogmore Cottage were reportedly delayed due to a last minute vegetable garden, the pair are said to have finally moved in and make new memories away from Kensington Palace.

Regardless of where the birth will take place, Buckingham Palace revealed that the Sussexes would not be taking part in another tradition: the immediate post-birth photocall that Kate Middleton and Princess Diana have been subject to in recent years.

Calling it a “personal decision”, the statement read, “Their Royal Highnesses 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.”

Will the royal baby be baptised?

Given the Queen is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, all of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children have been baptised and the entire family gathers for an annual Christmas service in Sandringham.

Meghan Markle, who was raised Catholic, was baptised into the Church of England last March - according to the Daily Mail - and there’s a strong chance her future child will follow suit.

Given Prince Harry was also baptised back in 1984 (at his later wedding venue, St George’s Chapel), it seems likely that the couple will also baptise their baby.

Who will be the royal baby’s godparents?

The royal baby’s godparents have yet to be announced, which has had many speculating that the Sussexes could choose a high profile couple for their future child.

Although many believed that their close friends George and Amal Clooney were a potential choice, George ruled them out of the running for royal baby godparents when he said, “I’m the father of twins, I have enough sh*t to deal with - literally!”

Other contenders on the list also include Meghan Markle’s best friend Jessica Mulroney and her husband Ben, or Prince Harry’s former Eton classmate Jake Warren and his wife Zoe. British fashion designer Misha Nonoo, who was also rumoured to be responsible for setting up Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the first place, is also believed to be a contender.

Will the royal baby have dual citizenship?

Meghan Markle had to jump through a few hoops to become a British citizen, but her baby will “automatically be a British citizen, as Harry is British” if the child is born in Britain. The New York Times also added that children “who are born abroad, in wedlock, to one American citizen and one “alien” automatically acquire citizenship at birth, as long as the American parent has lived in the United States for a requisite period of time”.

Given that Meghan Markle was born and raised in California, she would satisfy that quota. Doris Meissner, a former commissioner for the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the US, explained that Harry and Meghan would have to go to an American consulate and fill out a lot of paperwork.

She said, “There’s a form that they fill out, which is called the U.S. consular report of birth abroad, and that then serves as the child’s proof of U.S. citizenship. With that, they are also eligible to apply for a passport.”