ROYALS

Meghan Markle Narrowed Down the Royal Baby’s Due Date

The Duchess of Sussex revealed her approximate due date on Monday.


ROYAL VISIT TO BIRKENHEAD
Danny Lawson – PA Images

Meghan Markle still has a lot on her plate before she gets to take her maternity leave. She has to hire some new bodyguards and palace aides, keep up with her four official royal patronages, and continue to quash any so-called beef between herself and her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. Along with Prince Harry, who has reportedly given up caffeine and alcohol in solidarity with his pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex has just a few months left of preparation time before she delivers her first child.

Many have waited with bated breath to discover exactly when the royal baby will make his or her grand entrance, and despite the royals’ somewhat vague description of a timeline, the countdown can now officially begin. During a joint appearance in Birkenhead (their first of the New Year), in which the royal couple interacted with students from Kilgarth School, spoke with local veterans, and visited Tomorrow’s Women Wirral, an organization dedicated to supporting women who are survivors of domestic abuse, Meghan and Harry also reportedly discussed their due date loudly enough for a few reporters to overhear, according to E! News. While the initial due date was reported by Kensington Palace to be sometime in the spring of 2019, the duchess, apparently, revealed this week that the baby will probably arrive sometime near the end of April or beginning of May. The duchess also continues with her habit of slightly breaking tradition and blurring the boundaries between high and low, as photos of the Birkenhead visit reveal Meghan, wearing a bright purple Babaton for Aritzia dress, clutching her baby bump with one hand and holding onto a Gabriela Hearst Nina bag in the other, as she spoke with individuals from the local organizations in Hamilton Square.

There’s not too much that can be ascertained from learning that approximate due date, aside from a general idea of when to start keeping your eyes glued to the Kensington Palace social media feeds. Nobody knows the gender of the baby yet—not even the parents-to-be, as they also revealed on Monday—nor does anyone know if Markle has officially opted for a home birth, as has been previously rumored.

Still, this general timeline—end of April, early May—does indicate the royal baby’s astrological sign: We might be looking at a future Taurus inside of that baby bump, as that’s the sun sign of those born between April 20 and May 20—including this new baby’s cousins Princess Charlotte, who was born May 2, and Prince Louis, whose birthday is April 23. Taureans tend to be honest, ambitious, and stubborn (perhaps even tradition-breaking) aesthetes, which seems to be a perfectly fitting character description for any baby born into this particular royal family.

Related: Meghan Markle’s Bodyguard Has Quit After Six Months on the Job