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Prince Harry Meghan Cardiff© Photo: Getty Images

Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal baby will cost them more

The Duke and Duchess are expecting their first child this spring

Chloe Best
Lifestyle Features Editor
February 15, 2019
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With just two months to go until the Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome their first child, they’re busy renovating their new house in Frogmore Cottage and preparing to relocate to Windsor. And while we still don’t know the gender or title of the new Sussex baby, what we do know is that the newborn will cost Prince Harry and Meghan more – although only marginally.

The General Register Office of England and Wales is putting up the price of all birth certificates from mid-February, meaning the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – like thousands of other new parents – will now have to pay £11 per copy instead of £4, which it has previously cost until now. The Home Office is increasing the price for the first time in nine years and say they have set the price at "cost recovery levels only", and registrars will have the power to reduce the charge if they feel like someone is unable to pay.

Prince Harry and Meghan natural history museum© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan's baby is due in April

Of course, that will be no problem for the Duke and Duchess, but royal fans will be eagerly awaiting the release of the new baby’s birth certificate, which should happen within weeks of the new arrival. Prince Harry’s brother Prince William and his wife Kate shared the birth certificates of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, so it is likely the Sussexes will do the same – and it will reveal whether Meghan lists her occupation as "Princess of the United Kingdom" like her sister-in-law Kate.

GALLERY: Prince Harry and Meghan's pregnancy evolution in pictures 

Meghan Markle theatre© Photo: Getty Images

The couple will have to pay £11 for their baby's birth certificate

Meghan’s due date is believed to be in April, and the couple are set to relocate to their new home of Frogmore Cottage ahead of their new arrival. It is still not known where Meghan will give birth; while it was previously suggested that the Duchess may follow in the footsteps of the Countess of Wessex by having her baby at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, it was recently reported that staff at the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital have been advised not to take holiday in April, sparking speculation that Meghan plans to have her baby there instead.

MORE: Duchess Meghan reveals excitement at royal baby secret

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