6 Ways Meghan Markle Could Break Royal Convention Raising The Royal Baby

The Baby of Sussex is coming very soon. Meghan Markle is due at the end of April, and she's already shaking things up when it comes to what royal family fans might have expected with this new addition. Markle and Prince Harry are keeping "the plans around the arrival of their baby private", according to a statement, and this probably won't be the last way Meghan Markle breaks royal convention while raising her baby.

There's been a lot of talk ever since before Markle and Prince Harry were married about the now-Duchess "breaking royal protocol", with a lot of the instances not involving her breaking an actual rule. (Dark nail polish is fine, people!) But, there are some things that do traditionally happen in this family and conventions that the public has gotten used to, so even if they aren't set in stone rules, there are things that people expect.

Of course, Markle will not do everything Kate Middleton does — and she's not supposed to! — but Middleton does provide a good point of reference when it comes to how royal kids are raised in the 21st century. And through looking at Middleton and the other royal moms of the recent past (we're not going back to the Victorian Era here), there are some places where Markle and Harry could (or already are) switch things up with their kid.

The First Photos

It's pretty obvious in the statement released by Buckingham Palace that Markle won't be doing the outside of the hospital photos after she gives birth. The statement about the baby plans reads, "The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family."

Middleton and other royal moms like Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, took photos outside of the hospital after welcoming their children, but Markle is going a different route. According to People, the baby will be photographed privately at home. One (or more) of those photos will be probably be released at a later date.

The Name

The names with the best betting odds for the baby are Diana, Victoria, Alice, Arthur, and James. Nothing out of left field there. But because Markle is not from English high society and the baby won't be in direct line to the throne, maybe an unexpected name is on the horizon. Markle's mom's name is Doria. f they went with something like Diana Doria, in honor of both their mothers, that would be unconventional simply because there's no other Dorias in the royal family.

Spending More Time Abroad

Markle is American, so it's likely that she'll want her kid to experience America, too, so they can meet her loved ones who live in the U.S. Markle traveled to New York while she was pregnant, which showed that getting back to the country sometimes is something that's important to her. In particular, she'll probably want the baby to see her home state of California, which is even referenced in her coat of arms. Maybe they'll also go up north to Toronto where she filmed Suits for years.

Making Sure They're Exposed To All Parts Of Their Background

This is starting to become a list of things that have to do with Markle being American, but hey, that's a pretty big deal in the royal family. While anyone marrying into the family would want to show their kids the non-royal life, for Markle that specifically means America and their African American background. Markle has written about her biracial identity and what that means to her, so there's no doubt that she'll pass on her culture and her wisdom about being mixed raced to her child.

Cooking Herself

Carolyn Robb, the family chef for Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and Princes Williams and Harry when they were kids, did an interview with Racked in 2015 where she explained that she did all the cooking for the family. It's not a surprise that if members of the royal family want to have a chef, they can, but Markle and Harry might choose not to. Markle loves cooking, for one, but Robb also explained that Middleton was the one cooking for her own family, so the times are a-changin'.

"Kate does quite a lot of the cooking at the moment," Robb said. "You have to remember that she’s not royal. She comes from a normal background and a normal home where she’s always cooked for herself. And what I’ve always heard is that William enjoys spending time with her family because they just eat together at the kitchen table like a normal family."

The Baby's Clothes

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children are always dressed pretty plainly and conservatively. You don't see Princess Charlotte running around in public in a hot pink Baby Shark T-shirt, for instance. Plus, Prince George pretty much always wears shorts, because it's a symbol of the upper classes to not let a young boy wear long pants. Will Baby Sussex change things up? Will it be tiny little jeans right from the start? Maybe they'll wear head-to-toe Victoria Beckham. Having the flexibility of being seventh in line to the throne could mean this baby becomes a real fashion icon.

Time will tell what Markle really ends up doing as a mom — and fans are only going to hear a very small part of it, anyway. But since the baby will be here in the next couple of weeks, at least we'll get that name soon.