T-minus (roughly) 30 days until Meghan Markle becomes a mum. With the Duchess of Sussex's due date thought to be around four or five weeks away, she's now officially on maternity leave. Well, we haven't spotted her out and about recently, so we assume she's taking a much-needed rest.
But with the birth looming ever closer, what are the protocols in place? This being the Royal family, there's a strict set of rules both Meghan and Harry must adhere to.
According to HELLO!, the procedure is based on previous royal baby births, including Kate Middleton and Prince William's kids.
Firstly, the Queen will be the first person to know that the baby has arrived safely. She is, reportedly, called on an encrypted line to be alerted before anybody else.
Read Next
When Prince George was born, William called his grandmother on a specially encrypted phone to tell her the good news. The new father then proceeded to tell Kate's family, and then his own.
Next, a statement will be posted on official website, such as Royal.gov.uk and sent to media outlets. In the age of social media, however, previous royal births have been announced on Twitter first, then on the Royal Family website (we'll all be watching Twitter like a hawk, anyway).
A few days later, we'll finally know the name. Prince George's name was released two days after he was born, as was Charlotte's, and Louis' name was revealed four days after his birth.
The baby will probably be given three or four names, including several middle names, but might not hold the title of his or her royal highness. If offered the titles, Harry and Meghan could decline them, as Princess Anne did for Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
Then it's the fun part: the christening. According to HELLO!, the royal baby will be christened in a replica of the Honiton lace and satin christening gown, which was made for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1941. Such tradition!
Oh, and the royal baby could have anywhere between four and seven godparents (Prince George has seven, Louis has six, and Charlotte's got five). When finally announced, it'll likely be a starry event: George and Amal Clooney, Serena Williams and Benita Litt (one of Meghan's oldest friends) are all in the running.
