breaking news in the last few moments. buckingham palace has announced that the duchess of sussex has gone into labour following weeks of speculation about the date of her ba by‘s of speculation about the date of her baby's bath. of speculation about the date of her ba by‘s bath. prince of speculation about the date of her baby's bath. prince harry's first child will be seventh in line to the throne as the queen was eighth grandchild. less tha n less than a year ago in one of the most watched events of 1918, the californian born former actress married the prince. with the news that the duchess of sussex is in labour with their first child, the global spotlight is once again on windsor. the couple announced their

engagement in november 2017. and in the bbc interview which followed, prince harry made clear his desire to start a family. children? plans? not currently, no. one step at a time. in the near future. five months after their wedding, on the day their first royal tour began, the announcement came from kensington palace that the couple we re kensington palace that the couple were expecting. it added an extra level of excitement to an already much anticipated tour of australia and the pacific region. what followed was months of the media obsessing about meghan markle and her burgeoning bum. and the obsession was catching. throughout her pregnancy, she kept a full diary of engagements, usually carried out in sky—high stilettos. in february

she faced criticism in the british press for jetting she faced criticism in the british press forjetting off she faced criticism in the british press for jetting off to she faced criticism in the british press forjetting off to new she faced criticism in the british press for jetting off to new york for a costly baby shower organised by celebrity friends. one month later, and shortly after this engagement, her maternity leave began, although palisades stressed the duchess would still be holding work—related meetings in private. this was how harry was introduced to the world 35 years ago, on the steps ofa the world 35 years ago, on the steps of a private wing of st mary's hospital. just as prince william had been, and then william's children. but as well as avoiding the london hospital photocall, harry and meghan have said they want time to celebrate privately as a new family, so celebrate privately as a new family, so the public will have to wait for the first pictures of the child who is seventh in line to the throne. the birth in los angeles of meghan herself did not make love like lines, but her baby's will, no doubt a difficult relationship with her father, thomas, the baby was my

grandfather, will again be subject to public scrutiny. meghan‘s mother, who remains close to her only daughter despite living in california, is also expected to spend more of her time in the uk. this is where baby sussex will call home. the cottage has undergone a multi—million pound refit, and tucked away deep in the heart of windsor castle's private estate, it will allow meghan and harry to get used to parenthood well away from public view. just to reiterate, breaking news, the palace has announced that meghan markle has gone into labour. it is a big moment that the nation has been waiting for. almost the same nine months that meghan and harry have been waiting for as well. we have heard she went into labour in the early hours of this morning, and that the duke of sussex was by her side as well. we don't know exactly

where they were when that took place, we don't know if they were in their home or whether they were in hospital. we are waiting for further details, what stage she has had so far. all we know so far as it was in the early hours of this morning she went into labour. the couple have chosen to give a lot of the details of this pregnancy and of their plans andindeed of this pregnancy and of their plans and indeed of the gender of the baby unknown even to themselves. for a while we never had an official confirmation of when she was due. we knew that meghan had talked to some of the crowds when she did a walk in birkenhead and said she was expecting at the end of april, beginning of may. we have been waiting to find out when that baby will be born. we have been waiting to hear more information from the

family. and we are still waiting now to hear even more. talk us through the role of this child in the royal family. obviously not in immediate line for the throne but a very important figure even so. yes, in terms of the line of succession we have prince charles, prince william, all of prince william's children, prince harry, and then this child in terms of lying to the throne. quite far down the list. but they will have a much more significant role in terms of the soft power that prince harry and meghan have had throughout the world. it was on their first international tour that they announced that they were expecting their first announced that they were expecting theirfirst child. announced that they were expecting their first child. that was when they went to australia and new zealand. they have got this celebrity appeal, some people who don't even want to follow the royal family feel like they want to know what is happening with meghan and

harry. this child in the future of that child's life we can imagine will be in the spotlight from the beginning. a lot of uncertainty, a lot of unknowns. but is there anything we can glean from precedent in terms of how all of this will be handled? normally before when royal births have been announced there is the easel outside buckingham palace with the announcement of the birth ofa with the announcement of the birth of a child, tend to be the time exactly that they were delivered and the weight of the child as well. we might see something like that. whether or not they are a prince or princess is yet to be decided. they won't automatically become a prince 01’ won't automatically become a prince or princess. that was the same with prince george, princess charlotte and prince louis. that is a decision that can be made by the queen. the queen could step in and decide that this child could also have those titles. it is also possible that harry and meghan decide they don't

wa nt harry and meghan decide they don't want their child to have that sort of title, they might want them to have an upbringing stripped of those titles, so they could also suggest that they don't. caroline, thank you. just to confirm. buckingham palace confirming that the duchess of sussex has gone into labour, she went into labour in the early hours of this morning according to a palace spokesman. let's speak to the royal correspondent for vanity fair. the duchess of sussex has broken the mould in some ways as a royal, to be expected to break the mould in these terms as well, in terms of motherhood? yes, it is possible we will see them do things differently for two reasons, meghan is american, she is a real californian girl, a relaxed approach is something we have seen in royal duties and something she will take into royal motherhood. and they are young, progressive royal parents. will they

push the boundaries perhaps more than william and kate have done? yes, it is very possible. they have got that much more latitude being further down the pecking order. it will be fascinating to watch how they raise this baby. meghan has talked about raising her baby as a feminist, whether the baby turns out to bea feminist, whether the baby turns out to be a boy ora feminist, whether the baby turns out to be a boy or a girl, and has described harry himself as a feminist. what impact will that have do you think on their parenting?” think they are going to raise the child whether it is a boy or girl to believe they can do anything, whether they want to be president or prime minister. we have heard a lot about how they're going to raise them with regard to gender. i don't think you will necessarily get pink forgirl or think you will necessarily get pink for girl or blue for a boy. they will be forward thinking in that respect. i think whether it is a boy 01’ respect. i think whether it is a boy orgirl, he or respect. i think whether it is a boy or girl, he or she will be acutely aware of women's empowerment. if you

area aware of women's empowerment. if you are a woman 01’ a man you can aware of women's empowerment. if you are a woman 01’ a man you can do anything. are a woman or a man you can do anything. that is how they will raise their child growing up knowing that the world is their oyster. obviously there is a huge amount we don't know at the moment. but what have you been following in the last couple of days. what is your hunch in terms of names or in terms of whether this is happening in the grounds of windsor, what do you think is going on? it is hard to say and anything anyone says a speculation. all we know is they wa nt to speculation. all we know is they want to keep the details private. i heard last year that she wanted a home birth that was possible. it is very possible she is going to be induced, of course she won't then have a homebirth that she wanted. all we know is that she went into labour in the early hours of the morning and we have been told there is no baby yet. stay tuned. we are

watching pictures of the duchess of sussex, a moment ago we watching pictures of the duchess of sussex, a moment ago we saw watching pictures of the duchess of sussex, a moment ago we saw the mother in shot. and one absentee in this story is her father. those issues around meghan's own family will be hanging over this birth as well. they will, and once the excitement subsides a little, the question will be asked, will this child get to meet his or her maternal grandfather, and thomas michael isn't someone who has been silenced. i'm pretty sure he will wa nt to silenced. i'm pretty sure he will want to see this child. a narrative that i think has been quite a difficult narrative for the couple that shows no signs of going away. the fact there is going to be a baby very soon, the fact there is going to be a baby very soon, thomas markle will want to meet his grandchild.” very soon, thomas markle will want to meet his grandchild. i talked with caroline about the precedent in

terms of royal births. can you expand on that for us? who will meghan have looked to for advice and support in the royal family in terms of this birth and how she handles it? if she gets the homebirth which she wanted, it is very possible she may even have spoken to the queen, because of course the queen had all four of her children at home. she may well have taken advice from the duchess of cambridge. i don't know. she has a close coterie of friends. we all know the famous friends, they are all mothers, she taking advice? yes, absolutely. but meghan is also very worldly, opinionated, intelligent and well read, and i think the person who has been through her site making all these decisions is of course her husband but also her mother. very quiet and understated but very important in meghan and harry's life, and it

wouldn't surprise me if she is right with them when this baby being born. let's turn to harry. what do we know of his views of fatherhood and his plans for fatherhood ? of his views of fatherhood and his plans for fatherhood? he has wanted a kid for a long time. i have done a biography on harry and spoken to friends of his. he said meghan was the making of him in terms of finding a partner to share the load with. the final piece of the jigsaw will be becoming a father. it is something he always wanted, and having watched him on so many engagements over the years with children, he has an amazing affinity with children. he has a genuine connection with them. he adores them. he is the fun uncle for george, charlotte and louis. ithink you will be a brilliant dad. thank you will be a brilliant dad. thank you so much for that.

just to confirm the duchess of sussexis just to confirm the duchess of sussex is in labour, this is confirmed by buckingham palace. the details we know, philippa hasjoined me at this end. the duke of sussex at meghan's side as the couple get ready to welcome their son or daughter, and the baby boy or girl will be seventh in line to the throne. it could be a bank holiday present to the nation and the world. a lot of people tune in to the bbc in the uk and globally, and there is that great excitement about any royal baby, but harry and meghan in particular. i was at windsor for the wedding last year, and that excitement, that sense of festivity and expectation. we can speak to the editor in chief of majesty magazine. ingrid, you must have been checking

phones and notifications eagerly. yes, like everybody else we were given very little information except that when she was going into labour we would be informed. which is what happened. an announcement presumably about whether it is a boy or a girl will be made when the duke and duchess of sussex are ready to do so. duchess of sussex are ready to do so. we don't exactly know when that will happen either. they are determined to go their own way although there are of course royal traditions as well. it is an interesting balancing act. traditions as well. it is an interesting balancing actm certainly is. it has been very difficult for the media who are obliged to report this. it is a big story. this is the first royal baby that will be anglo—american. it has been difficult for the media to try to report the story because there has been very little to go on. it has been very little to go on. it has all been supposition and all

kinds of gossip. but nothing solid. we have to wait until the palace tellers what has happened before we know any more. is there a rule as to whether the baby is a prince or princess? or indeed what surname the child will have? if it is a boy it will take harry's subsidiary title which is the earl of dumbarton. if it isa which is the earl of dumbarton. if it is a girl it will be of windsor. it will be within the queen was my gift to give them a royal title, if she wishes to do so. but she would have done so already, i think, if this was going to happen. she certainly announced it way before prince george was born. when prince charles becomes king they will be royal highness is anyway. i feel that because of the little harry and meghan have told us about their

expectations for their child, probably they want to take another royal title yet. a decision to be made aboutjust how royal a child its parents will want he or she to be. yes, we don't know. they might wa nt be. yes, we don't know. they might want to go down the route that the princess royal went, she refused titles for our children because she wanted them to be brought up in a normal way, without the appendage of royal titles so they could make their way royal titles so they could make theirway in the royal titles so they could make their way in the world. but i don't think this will be quite the case with the duke and duchess of sussex. as yet we don't know. it is far too early to even try to guess what kind of upbringing they will give the child. we know they are very modern thinkers. we know from the little meghan has said that she wants the child to be a feminist. and she said harry is a feminist, she is a feminist. it will be a very modern

royal child, which is good because if the monarchy doesn't evolve and keep changing, however slowly, it will not be relevant. it is important that the child probably is a little different. that is a lot of expectation. it certainly is. something else we think we know, we think we know they are at frogmore cottage. for many of our viewers it is not quite what you would call a cottage. it is a five bedroomed house and has got all the things you would probably love to have in your house, there is a yoga studio, apparently. it is soundproof because of course it is right under the flight of course it is right under the flight path from heathrow. and it is ina very flight path from heathrow. and it is in a very secluded spot, surrounded by the frogmore estate, which is pa rt of by the frogmore estate, which is part of the windsor castle estate. it isa part of the windsor castle estate. it is a wonderful place to bring up a child. the question of the actual

birth, as you have warrant, we have to be careful about too much speculation, but we know meghan is a y°93 speculation, but we know meghan is a yoga fan, we know harry meditates. there has been discussion about whether a water birth or a hypno birth might be part of the plan. whether a water birth or a hypno birth might be part of the planm certainly could be. some mothers love the idea of that and some don't. and we have no idea how easy birth this is, we just don't know that. i think nearly every mother wants to have a natural birth if they possibly can. they also take advice of the medical team and meghan's case to do whatever it is best for the baby. what we think we do know is that harry is there. you would expect him to be at his wife's side at this point. very much so.

that is the modern man. even prince philip was at his wife was mike slade in 1964. that was the first royal child of his that he was witness to. nowadays i think you'll find if someone has a husband they will be there. there are many cousins, and there are many aunts and uncles, and there are many members of a large, extended family. certainly. that is what harry has said, two years ago when he was a guest editor on radio four, he said meghan isn't particularly close to anyone and her family apart from her mother, but she is part of my family now. that caused a few raised eye brows now. that caused a few raised eyebrows among meghan's half sisters and brothers, but she is part of the royal family, and they will look out for her, and whatever people say

about disagreements amongst the family, they will all be there for her. i expect there will also be eyes on the home of meghan's mother. she played such a prominent role in the wedding, and struck a chord with so the wedding, and struck a chord with so many members of the public. there isa so many members of the public. there is a lot of interest in how quickly she can get there. i understood she was already there. but again we have not been told anything officially. we don't know if she hasjust arrived or if she has been there for arrived or if she has been there for a week, all we know is that she will be there to help meghan. i would assume she has probably been there for some time but i cannot say for sure. in terms of the expectations ofan sure. in terms of the expectations of an announcement, we were reminding ourselves a moment ago of the easel with the baby's name and wait. is that how you expected to be announced ? wait. is that how you expected to be announced? it will be announced on social media, and by e—mail or stop

it is traditional there is an easel with the baby's name and wait. and the list of the medical team, and it will be signed by them. that is royal tradition, and that will definitely happen. thank you so much for joining definitely happen. thank you so much forjoining us. i can tell you will have a busy day as well. we can come back to our correspondence watching this. we know it prince george that catherine went into labour around, he was born around four o'clock in the afternoon. we didn't get a chance to see him until the following day. with the other two children she came out and presented them to the public on the same day. we are still waiting to hear, and we

don't know how long she has been in labourfor, or whether don't know how long she has been in labour for, or whether the baby might even have been born already. while we go through the long list of things we don't know, let's add the sex of the baby, and also names. the bookies have had a busy time speculating on names. plenty of names. of course diana has come up asa names. of course diana has come up as a potential, grace is another suggestion, potentially victoria. we've also got elizabeth, all for a girl. of course it is a boy other suggestions have been arthur, james, philip, edward, albert. a whole selection of different names. whether they will go for something traditional or something possibly with a more, that works more across the atlantic, who knows? just reminding our viewers that we are because watching the at windsor. there will be a lot of cameras around the world trained in windsor castle even though we know this will bea

castle even though we know this will be a relatively private bath. if crowds start gathering as they may well do, we will be getting reactions from there. we were just talking about the choice of first names for the baby. we don't know what the surname would be. it is not a given that there is one surname for a member of the british royal family. there is a suggestion it could be mountbatten windsor, which is the same as for the other royal family, but they could choose to use sussex, that is the case for the cambridges, they use george and charlotte cambridge when they are registering for different events. we don't know for certain if they will use the surname of sussex, which is why a lot of people refer to them as baby sussex. we also don't know whether or not this child will be a prince or princess, that will be a decision made by the queen, whether she decides if she wants to step in to provide that title to the new

child. a lot of unknowns. while we speculate on baby sussex in this rich fashion, it is worth mentioning that the public by and large seem to be betting on a girl. is there any reason to suspect it's a girl? there has been plenty of speculation about this. i saw on the internet the queen had worn pink yesterday, some people suggesting that could be an indication she thought she was having a great great granddaughter full stop a great granddaughter. who knows. we don't even know for certain if meghan and harry know if they are having a boy or a girl. it really is speculation. let's speak to the royal biographer of harry, duke of sussex. penny, a big day for you as well. we were saying already, a lot of expectations weighing on the

shoulders of this baby to come. absolutely, not such a big day for me but certainly for him! yes, great expectations. this baby is not in the grand scheme of things all that important, but i think everybody loves harry, and this isjust so exciting for him. he has wanted a child for a very long time. he has wa nted child for a very long time. he has wanted a happy family that his brother has had all these years. and that he never really had when he was growing up. i think this is a really lovely moment for him. and i'm sure he is desperately excited. and just expand on those thoughts for us. we all know about the difficulties of his childhood, we know about the difficulties in meghan was my childhood. as someone who has written extensively about him, talk us through the things he has said about fatherhood. he has called himself a big child at heart. he is

just a big kid at heart. he has on several occasions said that he is a bit lonesome. that before he met meghan heat had relationships, as we all know, i couple quite serious. but that had fallen apart. and i think one of the reasons they fell apart was because of the media attention. and private people don't enjoy the media attention. and what was so enjoy the media attention. and what was so great when he met meghan really was that she was someone who throughout her life has positively sought media attention. because as an actress that's what you do. i think things were much easier for him with herfrom think things were much easier for him with her from the start. and you know, he was lonesome. his brother had happy marriage, and expanding family. and he was sitting on the

sidelines, and living very close to william and kate. and i think looking on with a degree of envy. he could see a lovely, cozy thing going on there, and that was what he wa nted on there, and that was what he wanted for himself. because he and his brother never really had that kind of lovely, happy family atmosphere when they were growing up. their parents were not atmosphere when they were growing py together, and it reallyjust didn't happen. so this is special. we are showing our viewers some of the pictures of harry and meghan carrying out public engagements. meghan well into her pregnancy. he is terribly solicitous of her. i'm thinking in particular of the royal tour, the overseas tour they went on just after we all learned that the duchess of sussex was pregnant, and that was really quite a marathon. at one point she had to be pulled out

ofa one point she had to be pulled out of a crowd, didn't she? yes. i think she has been very gutsy in the things she has done while pregnant. but of course i somebody famously said, i'm pregnant, i'm not ill. pregnancy is a very normal and natural state of being, and she has treated it as such. and i think she has carried on, as most of us do have to do when we are pregnant. but to undertake foreign tours and all the stress and the added stress that goes with being a member of the royal family, travelling around, unknown, meeting lots of new people, she has done itjolly well. unknown, meeting lots of new people, she has done it jolly well. we've talked about meghan and harry, can we talk about baby sussex's great—grandmother for we talk about baby sussex's great—grandmotherfor a we talk about baby sussex's great—grandmother for a moment? what do you think this new grandchild, her eighth, will mean to the queen?

the queen is very, very fond of harry. i think she will be delighted for him. mcqueen has got so many grandchildren and great—grandchildren that i would think they are all beginning to slightly meld into one. that's a terrible thing to say. i don't mean it really. but i think she loves them, she is excited by them, but she possibly is losing count. penny, thank you forjoining us. just to remind you about breaking news, we have that meghan, duchess of sussex has gone into labour. it would be the first child for harry and meghan, a child that would be seventh in line to the throne. and eighth grandchild for the queen. sarah campbell now looks back on an

eventful year for sarah campbell now looks back on an eventful yearfor meghan sarah campbell now looks back on an eventful year for meghan and harry. less tha n less than a year ago, the california born actress married her prince. the user that the duchess of sussex is in labour with her first child user that the duchess of sussex is in labour with herfirst child —— in the news is that the duchess of sussexis the news is that the duchess of sussex is in labour with herfirst child has now put the spotlight back on the house of windsor. prince harry made clear his desire to start a family. children? not currently, no. one step at a time. and hopefully we'll start a family in the future. five months after the wedding, the day their royal tour began to stop the news came from kensington palace that the couple we re kensington palace that the couple were expecting. it added another level of excitement