Don’t expect this royal tot to be like any of the little ones who came before
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, she broke new ground for the royal family when she became the first American biracial royal. Now their royal baby will continue that historic legacy.
Here are all the ways Baby Sussex will make history.
The baby is biracial
The Duchess of Sussex, 37, has spoken about growing up biracial (her mum, Doria Ragland, is African-American, and her father, Thomas Markle, is white). And Meghan’s baby is the first modern biracial royal who
is in line for the throne – seventh, in fact. (Queen Charlotte in the 1800s was believed to be of mixed race and went on to have 15 children.) “To the biracial community, she’s really serving as a symbol of this changing demographic that Britain is facing in addition to the United States,” notes Dr Sarah E. Gaither, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, North Carolina.
The Duchess of Sussex has immense pride in her heritage, so she’ll likely instil these values in her own little one. “To say who I am, to share where I’m from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman,” Meghan wrote for Elle in 2015. “That when asked to choose my ethnicity in a questionnaire as in my seventh-grade class, or these days to check ‘Other’, I simply say: ‘Sorry, world, this is not Lost and I am not one of The Others. I am enough exactly as I am.’ ”
Those close to the royal family have expressed similar excitement for the new arrival. “It is so beautiful at every level,” Tessy Ojo, the chief executive of the Diana Award, who was a guest at Harry and Meghan’s May wedding, previously told WHO. “We all can’t wait to see what the baby will be and what this beautiful gorgeous bundle will look like.”
The baby is eligible for American citizenship
Questions about Meghan’s citizenship came about ahead of her royal wedding. The palace said she’ll become a British citizen in the near future, but it’s unclear if she’ll give up her American ties or remain a dual citizen. Either way, the baby is the first British royal to meet the criteria for US citizenship. Per the US Travel Department, a baby born abroad in wedlock to a American citizen
and an alien acquires citizenship at birth if the US citizen parent has been “physically present in the US or one of its outlying possessions for five years prior to the person’s birth [which Meghan has], at least two of which were after the age of 14”.
The baby was given an American baby shower
Baby showers are a fundamentally American tradition, so Meghan’s friends threw her an epic shower in the heart of New York. The event took place in mid-February at the Mark Hotel. Attendees of the two-day celebration included Meghan’s Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, Serena Williams, Jessica Mulroney and Misha Nonoo. The pre-baby celebrations didn’t stop there, though. Now, excited fans are supporting causes close the couple’s heart through a virtual “baby shower”. Charities linked to Meghan and Prince Harry have been surprised by a flood of online donations after the fundraiser went viral with the hashtag #GlobalSussexBabyShower
The baby will grow up
in Frogmore Cottage
Harry and Meghan announced in November that they were leaving Kensington Palace to live at Windsor Castle’s Frogmore Cottage. It’s next door to Frogmore House, where they held their evening wedding reception. The residence hasn’t housed royals for years, and underwent major renovations to convert it from a five-unit home for palace staff.
The couple moved into their new home in early April.
For the full exclusive article, be sure to pick up the brand new issue of WHO.