She’s due to give birth any minute now, and it is believed Meghan Markle has chosen an unlikely hospital to deliver Baby Sussex.
According to new reports, the Duchess of Sussex is planning to “stay at home for as long as possible” once she goes in to labour, but will be transferred to NHS Frimley Park hospital in Surrey in the event of complications.
Royal fans would no doubt be surprised by the news, given that Frimley Park – which is just 24kms from Harry and Meghan’s Frogmore Cottage in Windsor – is a public hospital and therefore free – a far cry from the lavish $11,000 AUD per night Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London, where her sister-in-law Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, had her three children.
According to Frimley Park’s website, it recently underwent a multi-million dollar upgrade and “can now offer full en suite facilities on all labour rooms, more birth pools, better antenatal facilities and transitional care units for new babies who need a bit of extra support from mums”.
The Lindo Wing offers mums-to-be the chance to indulge in afternoon tea, lavish menus and bottomless champagne to celebrate the birth.
En suite bathrooms at the plush wing are stocked with toiletries like shampoo, conditioner and lotions, and rooms come with satellite TV, WiFi, a sofa for guests and magazines for your stay.
Meanwhile, the large labour ward at Frimley Park, which doesn’t offer private care for maternity patients, is certainly more on the basic side.
There are 14 labour rooms available on the general ward, which saw 5,350 births from April 2016 to April 2017.
The report follows news that Meghan’s labour will be treated with “increased care” due to her age, a midwife has claimed.
At 37, experts have said as a first time “geriatric” mum, the Duchess of Sussex will be very closely monitored by her medical team to prevent any complications during labour.
“Although The Duchess of Sussex may have some very slightly increased risk factors due to her age, induction of labour carries risks itself and these should be fully discussed as part of balanced discussion,” Liz Halliday, Deputy Head of Midwifery at Private Midwives told The Sun.