Meghan Markle 'won't give birth at the Lindo Wing,' according to reports
The Duchess of Sussex will not have her baby at the Lindo Wing, according to reports.
Meghan, 37, is due to give birth in the coming weeks, but it's believed that she won't be following in her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge's footsteps.
Kate, 37, delivered all three of her children at the private Lindo Wing in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, where prices start at £5,900 for a one-night stay.
Instead Meghan and Harry have reportedly opted for a maternity unit closer to their new home Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor.
A source told The Sun that the couple "want the birth to be as private as possible," as the baby is not a direct heir to the throne and that Meghan is "nervous" about the birth.
They said: "Meghan is nervous about complications such as an emergency Caesarean and doesn't want the pressure of having to look immaculate on the hospital steps just hours later."
Women over the age of 35 are considered to have a "geriatric pregnancy," which can increase the risk of complications for mother and baby, according to the NHS.
The source added: "She and Harry have decided that rather than go somewhere as public as the Lindo they will allow Meghan to recover somewhere more private.
"She just wants a normal, natural birth and to bond with her baby, without being primped and blow-dried to within an inch of her life just for the pictures."
Meghan could choose the Mulberry Birth Centre at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey, which is 15 miles from Frogmore Cottage, or the Juniper Birth Centre at Wexham Park Hospital – which both offer a home-from-home environment for lower-risk births.
If Meghan is treated the same as other pregnant mothers, she will be subject to a first-come, first-served scenario – so could miss out on using the birthing centres if they are already full when she goes into labour.
The Mulberry Birth Centre at Frimley Park has five birth rooms, with en-suite facilities and one which includes a birthing pool with mood lighting.
At Frimley Park Hospital, mothers who wish for extra privacy after the birth of their baby can pay for a private single room.
But these cannot be booked in advance and do not have en-suite facilities.
At Wexham Park Hospital there are two amenity rooms which NHS patients can pay for after the birth. They cost £190 each, are first-come first-served and cannot be booked ahead of schedule.
Frimley Park was the hospital that helped save the life of the Countess of Wessex following complications during the premature birth of her daughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.
Louise was the Queen's first grandchild to be born in an NHS hospital.
Sophie's son, Viscount Severn, was also born there in 2007.
Other options for Meghan could include another private hospital, or a home birth – as always used to be the custom for royal babies.
Meghan could be attended by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, surgeon-gynaecologist to the royal household, and Alan Farthing, the Queen's surgeon-gynaecologist, who cared for Kate during her deliveries.
Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Princess Anne was the first royal to give birth at the Lindo Wing – her son Peter Phillips was born there in 1977, followed by daughter Zara in 1981.
Princess Diana also had sons William and Harry there in 1982 and 1984 respectively.
But Meghan isn't the first royal to choose an alternative hospital.
Sarah, Duchess of York had daughters Beatrice and Eugenie at The Portland Hospital in London in 1988 and 1990.
READ MORE: Where will Meghan and Harry's baby live?
Sophie, Countess of Wessex had both of her children Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn, born in 2003 and 2007, at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey.
The NHS hospital could be an option for Meghan and Harry, as it's a 15-mile drive from Frogmore Cottage.
Peter Phillips' wife Autumn opted for Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, for the births of their daughters Savannah and Isla, in 2010 and 2012.
