Royal baby: What is the Lindo Wing, how much does it cost and will Meghan Markle give birth there?
Afternoon tea and a champagne list is offered to new parents during their stay at the Lindo Wing
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Your support makes all the difference.In just a few weeks, the royal family will welcome the latest addition to their family.
In October, Kensington Palace announced the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expecting their first child, due in spring 2019.
However, with little detail shared about Meghan Markle’s pregnancy in the lead up to her due date, all eyes are now focussing on the Lindo Wing.
The Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital, London, is home to a private maternity ward which has long served as the location for several royal births.
Most recently, the Duchess of Cambridge welcomed her third child, Prince Louis, at the wing in April 2018, after giving birth to Princess Charlotte and Prince George there in 2015 and 2013, respectively.
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Middleton, have also chosen the wing for their births given its world-renowned maternity services.
In the lead up to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s baby’s birth, here’s everything you need to know about the Lindo Wing.
What is the Lindo Wing?
The Lindo Wing is a private facility offering surgical, medical and, obstetric care located in Paddington, London.
The unit specialises in a range of complex and robotic surgeries including trauma, weight loss, vascular, gynaecology, urology, ear, nose and throat, and general surgery.
However, it’s widely become recognised for its maternity services following the births of members of the royal family.
The maternity unit provides care and advice from a consultant of a parent/parents choice and a team of midwives.
If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are based at Kensington Palace in the days leading up to the royal birth, it will take them an average of seven minutes in the car to drive from the royal residence to the wing.
The couple currently live at Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Estate which is an estimated 50 minute car journey.
What does the Lindo Wing offer?
The wing offers several private, modern rooms with en suite facilities.
All rooms come with satellite television, a radio, bedside phone and fridge. Free WiFi is also available as is a choice of daily newspapers, every morning.
A statement on the wing's website reads: "You will be able to spend your precious first hours or days in one of our modern private, en suite rooms, and all meals will be made to order on site by our team of talented chefs. You can even order a celebratory high tea with optional champagne to welcome your new arrival.
"We also provide a secure, supervised nursery, so you can enjoy some rest whilst remaining confident that your baby is being well cared for."
Karen Yossman, who gave birth at the Lindo Wing in 2017, said of the wing: “The most vital thing the Lindo offers is discretion, with each new mother ensconced in her own en-suite room equipped with high-speed internet, radio, safe, fridge and television.
"I didn’t see or hear another patient during the entirety of my stay.”
How much does it cost to give birth there?
When it comes to consultant-led antenatal care, a standard room for a normal delivery package for the first 24 hours of a mother and baby's stay starts at £5,900.
The cost of an additional night per room is priced at £1,175. Meanwhile, prices for a suite (as is used by the royal family) are discussed on application “depending on individual requirements”.
All packages on offer by the wing include routine midwife appointments, blood tests, accommodation and breakfast for the mother and partner each night of their postnatal stay, and postnatal physiotherapy.
To secure a booking, the wing requires a deposit of £7,075 for a "normal" delivery (non-instrumental) and £9,785 for a caesarean section.
There is also a 10 per cent discount on the standard delivery package available for mothers who have previously given birth at the wing.
Which royal family members have been born there?
Two generations of royal family have been born at the Lindo Wing, dating back to Princess Anne who gave birth to both of her children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, there in 1977 and 1981, respectively.
Previously, Queen Elizabeth II’s children were born at Buckingham Palace.
In 1982, Princess Diana chose to give birth to Prince William at the wing, making him the first heir-apparent to be born in the hospital.
She later gave birth to Prince Harry at the wing in 1984.
Years later, the Duchess of Cambridge, chose the facility for the birth place of all three of her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Pippa Middleton, meanwhile, chose the wing for the birth of her first child, Arthur Michael William Matthews in October 2018.
When do the press start camping outside the wing?
The media have been known to set up cameras in the area opposite the hospital weeks in advance of a royal birth.
For Prince Louis’ birth on 23 April 2018, photographers, journalists, and camera crews were set up as early as 9 April.
However, Shutterstock Royal Photographer Tim Rooke previously told Town & Country that contrary to Prince George’s birth - when people were able to camp outside the wing for weeks before his arrival - the media must wait until the expectant mother goes into hospital before taking their official positions.
"Because it is a working hospital, nobody is allowed into those positions until we’re told that the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted," Rooke revealed.
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