The private hospital believed to have been chosen by the Duchess of Sussex to give birth boasts a list of VIP clients from Victoria Beckham and Jemima Khan to the Duchess of York. The Portland Hospital, in Great Portland Street, Marylebone, is used by about 1,600 pregnant women a year. Fees range from about £10,000 to £15,000, depending on the type of delivery and number of nights in hospital after delivery. But some women can choose to pay up to £500,000 in extreme circumstances by choosing its most luxurious options, as hospital chiefs admitted in the BBC2 documentary Five Star Babies. The Portland has been part of the HCA Healthcare group for 12 years and is the largest private children’s hospital in the UK. A HCA spokeswoman was today unable to confirm or deny whether it had been used for the royal birth. The hospital was rated “good” - the second best of four categories - by the NHS watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, in 2017. Its caesarean section rate is 52 per cent, more than double the 25 per cent national average, driven by the 34 per cent of women who opt for an elective, or planned, caesarean. The hospital, which has five delivery suites and a number of birthing pools, does offer midwife-led births but most are overseen by a consultant obstetrician. One of its most famous is Dr Penelope Law, known aas Dr Penny, who is married to the Earl of Bradford, making her the Copuntess of Bradford. She jokes that she is “too posh to pull”. Inspectors praised the hospital midwives’ ability to initiate breastfeeding but raised concerns about a lack of documentation by consultants carrying out some procedures. The possible choice of the Portland is in contrast to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who opted for the Lindo wing at St Mary’s hospital, Paddington, for the birth of George, Charlotte and Louis. The Lindo wing is a private unit but its profits are ploughed back into Imperial College Healthcare, the NHS trust that runs five west London hospitals. The Portland was used by the Duchess of York for the birth of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Both of the Earl of Snowdon’s children, Charles and Margarita Armstrong-Jones, were born at The Portland. David and Victoria Beckham, her Spice Girls bandmates Geri Horner and Emma Bunton and their partners, Benedict Cumberbatch and wife Sophie Hunter and Jamie Oliver and wife Jools have all emerged from the hospital as proud parents. Models Claudia Schiffer and Jodie Kidd, actor Hugh Grant, footballer Peter Crouch and tennis star-turned-pundit Boris Becker also welcomed babies with their respective partners at the Portland<doc-sep>Meghan Markle's friend may be first to see royal baby says expert FREE now and never miss the top Royal stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Royal fans are desperate to find out if the royal baby of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has arrived. We are now into early May and Meghan’s due date was expected any time from the end of April onwards. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to give anything anywhere about the birth including the due date and location. In April, they announced they intended to keep all the details surrounding the birth private. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “They look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.” Recent developments today have suggested it might be possible the seventh-in-line to the throne has already made his or her entrance into the world. One of these was that the Duchess of Sussex’s trusted make-up artist Daniel Martin was apparently whisked to London to put in an appearance for Meghan, according to his friend. Beauty expert Depict Mutala snapped a picture with Daniel on her Instagram Stories last night and said he had stopped off in the capital briefly. Royal baby born: No announcement has been made about Meghan and Harry's baby She wrote: “Get this… he went from being on stage with Diana Ross to London to doing Gemma Chan’s makeup to coming straight to his dinner to support @livetinted.” The make-up artist is usually in attendance with Meghan for major events. Royal baby speculation also went into overdrive after witnesses claimed to have seen a “car with pink blankets” being escorted into the Windsor estate. In footage filmed by Tamoor Ali and his brother-in-law Akib Hanif, a motorcade could be seen shepherding a black Bentley through Windsor. Royal baby born: Meghan is expected to have a home birth at Frogmore Cottage The video then shows the line of cars turning into the Windsor estate, where Meghan and Harry live, while policemen stand outside. Mr Ali told The Sun: “It seems to me that the baby is here and they haven’t announced it yet. It was the baby - we were quite certain.” But Buckingham Palace later denied the cars were anything to do with Baby Sussex telling the Daily Mail the Queen was being taken to a service at St George’s Chapel. But in an unexpected announcement, the palace said Prince Harry had postponed a scheduled trip to Amsterdam on May 8, which many people linked to the royal baby. Royal baby born: Meghan and Harry have opted to keep their birth details private<doc-sep>Diana delivered both of her boys in the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London See Princess Diana Leaving the Hospital with Baby Princes William and Harry Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are officially parents – and it was over 34 years ago that Princess Diana introduced Harry to the world. Diana delivered both of her boys in the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London, and the newborn heirs made their public debuts on the hospital steps – just like Kate Middleton and Prince William did with all three of their children: Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1. Get push notifications with news, features and more. In 1982, Diana exited the hospital with husband Prince Charles and their firstborn son, Prince William. She wore a green polka dot dress. Following Prince Harry’s arrival in 1984, Diana showed off her second son while wearing a long red jacket and dress featuring a white Peter Pan collar. And just as William did with his two eldest children, Charles brought a young William into the hospital to meet his little brother for the first time. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son Prince Charles Princess DIana Credit: Press Association via AP; John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty (FILE) Princess Diana Departs From St Mary's Hospital With Prince William Princess Diana and Prince Charles with Prince William | Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images Diana Charles Baby William Princess Diana and Prince Charles with Prince William | Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images Tom Wargacki's Princess Diana Archive Prince Charles and Princess Diana with Prince Harry | Credit: Tom Wargacki/WireImage New Brother Prince William and Prince Charles | Credit: Tim Graham/Getty On those same steps, Kate and William gave the world the first glimpse of all three of their children. princess-kate-7 Kate Middleton and Prince William with Prince George | Credit: Ruaridh Connellan/Barcroft via Getty Images The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Depart The Lindo Wing With Thier Second Child Kate Middleton and Prince William with Princess Charlotte | Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage The Duke & Duchess Of Cambridge Depart The Lindo Wing With Their New Son Prince William and Kate Middleton with Prince Louis | Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage Kate even channeled Diana’s style, wearing a spotted Jenny Packham outfit after George’s birth (just like Diana’s green polka dot dress!) and a red collared dress with Louis (paying homage to Diana’s red ensemble after Harry’s birth). Royal baby Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Meghan and Harry welcomed their son in the early morning on May 6 – and they made their debut as a family of three at St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle (where they had their royal wedding reception last year!) on Wednesday. Asked what it’s like being a new mom, Meghan said: “It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing. I have the best two guys in the world, so I’m really happy.” She went on to say that Baby Sussex “has the sweetest temperament. He’s really calm.” Harry then added, “I don’t know where he gets that from!” Duke and Duchess of Sussex Baby Sussex | Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/Press Association via AP The couple decided to keep many of the details around the arrival of their baby private, but they announced that they’d be sharing more in the forthcoming days.<doc-sep>
From keeping their birth plans private to announcing the arrival of their son on Instagram, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, bucked tradition to welcome their firstborn exactly how they wanted. Instead of the post-birth hospital photo-op customary to the royal family, Harry and Meghan brought Baby Sussex to St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle for a photo shoot and short interview on Wednesday, May 8. Truly, the pictures are too sweet for words. His little face! Their smiles! Their joy is overwhelming in the best way. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex present Baby Sussex to the world on May 8, 2019 in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle. Press Association By contrast, Harry's brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, debuted all three of their children to the world within 24 hours of their birth. As William is second in line to the throne (after his father, Prince Charles), the Cambridges are required to adhere to royal tradition in a way the Sussexes are not. For Prince Louis's birth on April 23, 2018, William and Kate posed with their (then-unnamed) newborn on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, just six-and-a-half hours after his birth. The Duchess wore red Jenny Packham for the occasion, the same designer she wore for photos with Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince George in 2013. Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge pose with their newborn son at the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London on April 23, 2018. Chris Jackson Getty Images For Charlotte's birth, William and Kate posed for photos and left the hospital around seven hours after her birth, but for George's, the couple waited until the day after the duchess delivered to present the future heir to the throne to the world. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge debut Prince George on the steps of the Lindo Wing on July 23, 2013 (left) and Princess Charlotte on May, 2 2015. Getty Images Regardless of how they chose to introduce their children to the world, one thing is certain—the royal family produces some very cute children.