Meghan Markle Pregnant: Second Baby With Prince Harry Not The First American-Born British Royal
Meghan Markle is having her second baby in the U.S. this year, following the announcement that she's expecting with Prince Harry but the second Sussex baby will not be the first member of the royal family to be born in America.
Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince Michael of Kent, who is Queen Elizabeth's paternal first cousin, has a daughter who was born in the United States. In August 2013, Frederick's wife, British actress Sophie Winkleman, gave birth to their first baby, Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina, in Los Angeles. The couple was living in the U.S. at that time as Frederick's wife was working on the TV series, Two and a Half Men.
Maud, however, was baptized in the Church of England in December 2013. Her parents said that they chose an "old-fashioned English name" for their daughter as there was a Princess Maud in the royal family hundreds of years ago. The couple has another daughter, Isabella, who was born in London in 2016.
Meanwhile, the birth of Meghan and Harry's second baby has raised questions about citizenship. According to Daily Mail, the child will automatically become a U.S. citizen since Meghan will give birth in California. However, the Sussex pair's second baby will also be entitled to a British passport because of his or her father.
Meghan and Harry have not revealed if they are expecting a girl or a boy. The couple also did not give out a due date but there have been speculations that the Duchess of Sussex is on her second pregnancy term, or about five months, when they announced her condition.
Questions have also risen on whether Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip will ever get to see Harry and Meghan's newborn after the birth. Royal correspondent Phil Dampier thinks that the Sussex will stick with Zoom calls with the royal family for now due to the pandemic, which highlights the difficulty of their decision to leave the royal fold.
Meghan and Harry's second baby will be the 11th great-grandchild of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh. The newborn will also become the eighth in line to the British throne after Harry (6th) and Archie (7th). The baby will likely also carry the family name, Mountbatten-Windsor.
Harry is due to be back in England over the summer for his grandparents' special celebrations - Prince Philip's 100th birthday and the Trooping the Colour parade for Queen Elizabeth. He will be coming home alone since Meghan will have likely just given birth to their second baby.