There’s so much mystery and curiosity around the British Royal Family that every little detail grabs the attention of the masses. From the time they ruled colonies to now when they play an important role in UK politics, there is no escaping the curious eyes of the world for this family.
In fact, even in pregnancy, which is a deeply personal experience for a woman and a couple, the Royal women have had been under scrutiny for a variety of reasons. And that’s exactly why it’s not easy living that life. Sure it has perks but it also comes with restrictions that you need to adhere to and traditions that you need to uphold.
Not an easy cup of tea, we’d imagine.
To ease your curiosity, we’ve compiled a list of 25 royal baby traditions and protocols that the Royal Family needs to observe and are actually a thing.
25 Royal Baby Traditions That The British Royal Family Observes
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1. The Queen gets to know about the pregnancy or birth first
The Queen is a great grandmum now and the first to know about who’s joining the royal family by virtue of birth. While it’s not an overt rule, the Queen is the family matriarch and gets to know first about a pregnancy or birth.
2. The Royal Family keep the baby’s sex a secret
While determining the sex of a child isn’t a crime in the UK, the Royal Family chooses to keep the gender a secret. Even if they know about the sex, it is not disclosed to the public. The sex of the baby is not emphasised upon in the UK (which explains the fewer gender reveal parties), which at large is an American concept. So no wonder, the royals do not pay too much heed to it.
That being said, there have been times when the family broke this unsaid norm. Earlier in 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were expecting a baby girl during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
To be fair, they had already announced that the couple would step down as senior members of the royal family.
3. No baby showers
Another American concept that is less popular in the UK. No having baby showers is more of a cultural difference and nothing to do with being a royal. That’s the reason why the royal family doesn’t host one.
Meghan though did attend one in New York in honour of their firstborn.
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4. Limited travel during pregnancy
UK tabloids state that the royal family discourages pregnant women in the family to travel during this period. However, it’s not completely barred.
Meghan Markle was once again the exception to bend this norm when she made official royal visits to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, and Morocco while pregnant.
No Announcements Before 12 Weeks
5. Royals announce pregnancies usually after 12 weeks
The royal family usually announces pregnancies to the public after the 12-week mark. The only time an exception was made in recent years was when Kate Middleton when pregnant with Prince Louis decided to make the announcement earlier because she was suffering from morning sickness.
6. The royal family announces pregnancy health issues
Speaking of which, the royal family is okay with making pregnancy-related health issues known to the public. Not just a verbal confirmation, but the official royal website had a detailed release explaining’s Kate’s health issues during pregnancy.
7. A royal OB-GYB delivers royal babies
The royal palace has its own official gynaecologist who oversees the royal births. At present, Alan Farthing is the surgeon-gynaecologist to the royal household and has been overseeing royal births since Princess Charlotte was born in 2015.
Previously, Marcus Setchell was the official gynaecologist and postponed his retirement until 2013 to deliver Prince George.
8. There are midwives on-call for royal pregnancies
A royal birthing plan comprises about 20 experts including obstetricians, anaesthetists, paediatricians, laboratory technicians, and even midwives. They are on-call for three months since you never know when you need to be called.
9. The entire birthing team is sworn to secrecy
Not coming as a surprise, the entire birthing team need to remain extremely private about the process and cannot divulge any details to the press or the public.
Royal Baby Traditions
10. Royal babies tend to have classic names
If you’re in the royal family and want to name your child after the sun in Persian. That’s unlikely to happen. The royal family choose classic names over something unique. The exception so far has been Harry and Meghan’s firstborn with the untraditional name Archie Harrison and now with Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
11. Royal babies usually have three to four names
It’s common for the royal family to give their children three to four names. For example, Prince George’s full name is George Alexander Lewis and Princess Charlotte’s full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
With Meghan Harry’s son, they broke tradition and gave their child only one middle name – Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. But they managed to get back on the bandwagon with their daughter.
12. Buckingham Palace announces the birth
A true royal tradition, Buckingham Palace displays an official statement following the birth of a royal baby. The document, signed by the palace doctors, is framed and placed on a special easel.
13. The birth is also announced on Instagram
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Keeping up with the times, the palace also announces the royal birth on social media platform Instagram.
Most recently, the royal family provided a statement about Princess Eugenie’s son. This included a photo of the princess and her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
The caption read, “Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie was safely delivered of a son today, 9th February 2021, at 0855hrs at The Portland Hospital. Jack Brooksbank was present.”
14. The town crier announces the birth
A medieval tradition still upheld by the family, the town crier formally announces the details of royal birth to crowds outside the hospital. The tradition, although unofficial, continues to be followed even today.
15. Royal birth certificates are publicly available.
Like any other baby in the UK, the royal baby also must register their birth certificate. The royal family’s documents are publicly available.
Royal Traditions For Pregnant Mums
16. No cleavage
Showing cleavage is a strict no-no for royal women and applies during pregnancy as well. This would mean a wardrobe of high necklines and demure coats of expecting royal mums.
17. Closed-toed shoes always
A common rule in the royal family is that of wearing closed-toed shoes. This applies to men and women and even during pregnancies. Not the most ideal though when you have swollen feet.
18. Post-birth photo outfit is huge
With literally every action, move, colour choice under scrutiny, the post-birth photo is a big deal for the royal media. This usually takes places within hours after birth and a lot of planning goes into the process.
After Prince George’s birth in 2013, Kate Middleton chose to wear a polka-dot dress for the post-birth photo that was reminiscent of Princess Diana’s dress that she wore after the birth of Prince William.
19. What the baby is wrapped in is huge as well
Not just the royal mum, but the royal baby’s wrap is also under scrutiny. For Archie Harrison, the newborn was wrapped in a wool knit baby shawl made by G.H. Hurt & Son.
Meanwhile, Kate and William chose the traditional English brand’s blankets for their children.
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20. Royal babies need to be baptised
A royal baby needs to be christened as the Queen is the head of the Church of England. All Windsor babies need to be baptised and even have a special traditional gown that they wear.
21. The royal baby always has an official surname
Before the early 20th century, royal babies did not actually have the last name at all. They were instead known by the names of the country they rule. But today, the babies have a last name as chosen by their parents.
So Will and Kate chose Cambridge as the last name for their children, while Harry and Meghan chose the surname “Mountbatten-Windsor” at the birth of their son Archie.
22. Only Breastfeeding for royal babies
Breastfeeding is a longstanding royal tradition. Queen Elizabeth II breastfed her children, which continued with Princess Diana, while Kate too reportedly breastfed her children. Of course, this is assuming the mums had no complications and had to resort to using formula milk.
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23. Royal mums get maternity leave
The royal title comes with its own sets of duties and responsibilities. So during pregnancy, the expecting royal mum gets a break from this as part of the maternity leave. The length of the leave can vary during which the royal family member need not make usual appearances in the public.
For Prince Louis, Kate Middleton was on five-month maternity leave but did make a public appearance for Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding.
24. Royal dads can take paternity leave
One of the more likeable royal baby traditions that broke ground with Prince William, he took unpaid paternity leave from the Royal Air Force for the births of George and Charlotte.
25. Non-royal grandparents allowed to be involved in the pregnancy
Saving the bizarre one for the end, the royal family now allows non-royal grandparents to be a part of the pregnancy process. Believe it or not, this wasn’t the case before. Thankfully, the family has come around this tradition.
What do you think of these royal baby traditions?
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