Speculation buzz ahead of Prince Harry, Meghan’s royal baby birth

What will the baby be named, where will it be born and will it be a boy or a girl — royal baby watch has officially started and all eyes are on Meghan as she enters the final stage of her pregnancy.

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Her every step is watched with keen interest, but never more so as Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, enters the final countdown to the birth of her first child, expected any time from March 20. Baby watch has officially started and royal experts are debating everything from where the baby will be born to what its name will be.

Commentators claim much of the speculation surrounding the impending arrival of Harry and Meghan’s baby is due to the fact they are the royal couple we expect to be a little more lax. And the fact the baby will be seventh in line to the throne will allow the royal parents to throw a little caution to the wind when it comes to tradition.

Apart from the baby’s sex, one of the most exciting outcomes from the birth will be the name bestowed on the newborn. Debate surrounds whether it will be a traditional royal name, or a more modern moniker, perhaps influenced by Meghan’s US heritage.

Australian royal enthusiast and Flinders University associate professor, Giselle Bastin, says there is a good chance Harry will choose to honour his mother and call his baby Diana, if it’s a girl.

However, British royal commentator and author, Victoria Arbiter, thinks Diana or even Elizabeth are more likely middle name contenders.

Prince Harry steps out with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, on their tour of Morocco on February 25. Picture: Yui Mok/AP

“Royals tend to go for dynastic names and the family tree has a wealth to choose from, but Harry and Meghan also have a little more freedom given their baby will be seventh in line,” Arbiter tells BW Magazine.

“For a girl, perhaps Alice, Rose or Alexandra as a first name. Boys are a little trickier, maybe Alexander for a first name with Charles and Philip as middle names.”

Bastin says as the royal parents to be played it safe when it came to following tradition for their wedding, it’s a good indicator they plan to do the same with naming their first born. And the fact this child will unlikely be a reigning royal also provides more flexibility.

“In the case of Harry being the second born, as we saw with the second, third and fourth born of the Queen, they were able to make more out of line calls when it came to names,” Bastin says, using Princess Anne’s choice to name her daughter Zara, a prime example.

“William and Kate have chosen safe names in George, Charlotte and Louis but we can expect Harry and Meghan to have a lot more wiggle room. We could even see a nod to Meghan’s US heritage, and we must not forget Harry is half Spencer through his mother Diana, and they can trace their lineage back to George Washington.”

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrives for her baby shower at the Mark Hotel in New York on February 19. Picture: AP Photo/Kevin Hagen

Another topic being hotly contested is where the baby will be born. Arbiter says it could be anywhere from the unofficial royal birth unit of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London to her own home.

“Given this will be Meghan’s first baby and the element of risk associated with her age, I think Meghan will likely choose to give birth in hospital,” Arbiter says. “The Lindo Wing, where William, Harry and the Cambridge children were born, has seen the most royal births of any other hospital.

“There’s been speculation that Meghan may choose Frimley Park Hospital where the Countess of Wessex delivered her children, but I’m not sure how well equipped it is to deal with what will likely be massive global interest.

“Prince William was the first heir-apparent to be born in hospital and every royal baby since 1970 has been born in hospital. There’s been suggestion that Meghan may choose to have her baby at home. Anything is possible, but I’d be surprised.”