Little-known royal hospital protocol that was broken the day Prince William was born
Princess Diana was known for her rebellious streak within the Royal Family, and she broke a little-known protocol after the birth of Prince William.
Being a member of the royal family sounds exhausting, with so many tiny rules and regulations to be followed and traditions to stick to.
The much-loved Princess of Wales regularly made headlines for bucking the trend though, and doing what she thought was right.
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Following the birth of Prince William, she got rid of one royal rule, which then went on to change things for Kate Middleton too when she had her children.
Before Prince William was born, it was apparently the expected protocol that royal women would give birth at home.
The late Queen had home births for all four of her children, with King Charles being born at Buckingham Palace.
Prince William was born at 9:03pm on June 21, 1982, and Princess Diana had him at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington.
Her decision meant that Prince William is the first future monarch to be born in a hospital.
She then welcomed Prince Harry at the same hospital two years later in 1984, in the Lindo Wing.
Princess Kate followed in her footsteps in 2013, giving birth to Prince George in the same wing of the hospital.
Meghan Markle apparently initially planned a home birth as per the original protocol, but things didn't go to plan and she had a hospital birth for Archie and Lilibet.
However, Meghan did not attend the same hospital.
Archie was welcomed at the Portland Hospital in London, where Princesses Beatrice and Eugene were born, and Lilibet was born in the US at the Santa Barbara Cottage hospital.
Prince Harry has drawn many comparisons between his wife and mother in their Netflix series.
"She has the same compassion. She has the same empathy. She has the same confidence. She has this warmth about her."
Many people have compared Kate and Meghan to Diana, especially for their parenting styles.
Public displays of affection had always been frowned upon, but Diana was always hugging and showing affection to her children, often crouching down to their eye level.
Kate Middleton has frequently been seen doing the same with her children, as well as taking and sharing many adorable photos of them.
Prince William was also the first heir to the throne not to receive a private education at home, as Princess Diana insisted he be sent to school.
Before his birth, it was also common for royal children to be left alone if their parents travelled, but Diana brought 9-month-old William on a state trip to Australia and New Zealand.
She also changed the dress code, refusing to wear hats and famously insisting: "You can’t cuddle a child in a hat."
Meghan Markle also shunned some royal rules, as it was previously the protocol to not have a baby shower, but she hosted two.
It was also royal protocol that the Queen be the first person to be notified of any birth, with Prince William reportedly calling Her Majesty on an encrypted phone to tell her the good news.
Topics: Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Parenting, Princess Diana, Royal Family, Prince William
Jen Thomas