Princess Beatrice won’t have to adhere to this bizarre royal rule when she gives birth, thanks to the Queen

Princess Beatrice’s pregnancy was announced to the world on May 19 and thanks to her grandmother the Queen, she won’t have to adhere to a particularly bizarre royal tradition when she gives birth. 

• Princess Beatrice (opens in new tab) is expecting her first child and the Queen is “delighted”.
• The Queen is understood to have broken with an “ancient” royal tradition when she gave birth to her children and it’s changed royal births ever since. 
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes as Meghan Markle’s ‘environmentally conscious’ diet for baby Archie was revealed (opens in new tab). 

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (opens in new tab) are expecting their first child (opens in new tab) together, due in autumn 2021. The announcement was made on May 19 and the palace statement declared the Queen (opens in new tab) is “delighted” that she will soon be welcoming a twelfth great-grandchild (opens in new tab).

The news also came the same day as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding anniversary. Some have since claimed that the timing “confirms” the Sussexes are “no longer a consideration” (opens in new tab), though the couple are likely just as thrilled as the rest of the Royal Family.

Whilst it’s not yet known where Princess Beatrice might choose to give birth (opens in new tab), it’s all thanks to the Queen that she will not have to adhere to an unusual royal tradition when the time comes.

And it’s not just Beatrice that will benefit, as the Queen’s daughter, granddaughters and granddaughters-in-law have followed in Her Majesty's footsteps. 

In a new Channel 4 documentary, A Very Royal Baby: From Cradle to Crown, it was revealed that previously women in the monarchy were unable to give birth in private. This included the Queen Mother and according to the documentary, the Queen's own birth was attended by the Home Secretary as this was the rule at the time. 

Royal author Ingrid Seward explained: "The Home Secretary had to attend the birth because in those days, the Home Secretary had to validate it was indeed a Royal child."

"This was absolutely necessary because the Queen Mother's body was owned by the state, and the child was also owned by the state,” historian Dr Onyeka Nubia added. 

However, it seems that the Queen wasn’t keen to uphold this rule and the documentary shared that she "scrapped this ancient tradition" when she gave birth to Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in 1948. She welcomed all four of her children at home, though many royal women nave since opted for hospitals.

This includes Princess Anne, Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie. The Queen’s daughter, granddaughters and granddaughters-in-law also gave birth in private, benefiting hugely from Her Majesty’s earlier decision.

Princess Beatrice will likely follow this path and welcome her baby at one of the hospitals favoured by the Royal Family.