The Startling Truth the Meghan Markle Birth Drama Has Revealed About William and Harry

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's baby hasn't even been born yet, and already it's telling us so much about the nature of the monarchy.

With the Duchess of Sussex's due date fast approaching—or just past, no one really knows—speculation is raging as to the circumstances in which she will actually be delivered of a son or daughter, as the official announcement traditionally states.

But will there even be that exactly worded announcement posted outside the Buckingham Palace gates? Where will the baby be delivered, in London or closer to Harry and Meghan's new residence in Windsor? At a hospital or at home, hearkening back to the way it was always done before Princess Anne and Princess Dianaeschewed the norms of previous generations?

Harry and Meghan have "taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said earlier this month.

Lest anyone needs reminding, when Kate Middleton gave birth to each of her three children, the process unfolded, from the declaration of labor to their first photo op, with military precision. It felt as if there was no room for error and, luckily, the babies obliged.

So that's the royal baby protocol we've been used to for the past six years, and the wait-and-see nature of Meghan's pregnancy—which, in real life, is obviously the more normal of the two scenarios—has driven home not just the differing sensibilities between Kate and Meghan (Kate, unless she really wanted to rock the boat, didn't exactly have too much say in the matter), but just how different Harry and his older brother Prince William's lives are—and have been all along.

The schism that appears to have formed between the two turned into a division of continental proportions this week when it was reported that Harry and Meghan might move to Africa after their baby is born—and the palace didn't deny it. 

"Any future plans for The Duke and Duchess are speculative at this stage," a spokesperson said in response. "No decisions have been taken about future roles. The Duke will continue to [fulfill] his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador."

The fact that this idea is even among life's possibilities for the couple illustrates the divergent paths the Cambridges and Sussexes will continue to take as William and Kate get ever closer to the throne and Harry and Meghan set out on their own.

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