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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Steve Myall & Jane Lavender

Inside Meghan Markle's luxury '£20k labour ward' that serves champagne and lobster

It's the birth we've all been waiting for and now the royal baby has finally arrived.

The newest royal entered the world at 5:26am yesterday morning, weighing 7lb 3oz and mum and baby are both doing well.

Meghan Markle had hoped to have a natural birth at the Frogmore Cottage home she shares with Prince Harry in Windsor.

But her dreams were dashed now it has been reported she had to be taken to the Portland Hospital in London by her security team to deliver her son.

The plans were so secret that senior royals were not even told of the move, it is claimed.

For all the latest royal baby updates, follow our live blog here.

The maternity ward is the height of luxury (The Portland Hospital)

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It is understood that Meghan was around a week overdue.

It had been widely rumoured that Meghan and harry would chose NHS Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey for the birth of their son.

But it seems the couple opted for a far more luxurious venue to welcome the much-anticipated baby boy.

So, what will Meghan have experienced inside the Portland Hospital's maternity ward, which costs £20,000.

First of all there's the previous A-list patients.

The hospital offers service better than most hotels (BBC)

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Victoria Beckham gave birth to two of her four children in the hospital and it's also where Jamie Oliver's wife, Jools, opted to have her babies.

Jerry Hall, Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, Spice Girl  Geri Halliwell  , Benazir Bhutto, Trudi Styler,  Patsy Kensit  , Victoria Wood and Julie Walters are all reported to have given birth at the hospital.

Meghan and Harry are also not the first royals to become parents at the high-end hospital.

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew delivered their first-born, Princess Beatrice, at The Portland.

Then there's the fine dining. The hospital boasts suites with sitting rooms and fridges stocked full of Champagne.

All of the food is served on silver platters (BBC)

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You can pick which doctor you want and if you don't fancy pushing then even opt for a caesarean.

Doctors are on hand to dish out medicine to stop your milk coming and a nursery will look after your baby around the clock – at £1,200 a night – until you feel ready to face the world.

Chief executive Janene Madden, who runs a staff of 434, boasts: “I have seen somebody spend £500,000.

“We have princesses from the middle east who deliver here quite regularly.

"We have celebrities and individuals of very high net worth and they used to getting what they want.

With each birth costing on average £20,000, it doesn't come cheap (The Portland Hospital)
New mums are served a celebratory meal of lobster and Champagne on silver platters (BBC)

“And if they want 10 additional rooms or 20 additional rooms we will provide it.

“As long as that woman or husband can pay for what they are requesting we will do our best to provide that.

“What I can advocate here is it is like having a holiday, when you deliver at the Portland you get to use the nursery and your baby is only bought back for feeding time so you absolutely after two to three nights you leave here fit and well and ready to face the challenges of motherhood.”

For those who fancy the luxury on offer be warned, you need deep pockets, as a basic consultant led package costs upwards of £8,000 which doesn't include the doctor.

And choosing your own doctor at the American-owned hospital can easily double the cost.

Champagne is freely available at the Portland Hospital (The Portland Hospital)

There is certainly no shortage of midwives at the hospital, with a team of around 50 on hand for mums-to-be.

As well as maternity care the Portland offers a range of high end facilities to guests at it's 36 rooms, there is even a private in house photography company for snaps of the babies and gift shop offers trinkets like silver and bronze casts of babies feet.

A hotel standard kitchen, based in the one in five-star hotel The Dorchester, provides around the clock fine dining and while in the NHS breakfast costs as little as 90p in the Portland there is a team of 13 preparing any dish the mothers desire.

One cooks boasts: “We can get foie gras, lobsters and oysters if people want they, we have fantastic champagne, Dom Pérignon if people want it.”

The food is all delivered on silver platters.

The food at the Portland is all delivered on silver platters (Mirrorpix)

While mums are treated to one on one care newborns cared for by staff, there is nursery on first floor and babies are electronically tagged with a computer system monitoring their exact location at any one time.

And new babies don't have to sleep in standard plastic cots.

Dragons of Walton Street has a range available for use at the hospital which includes a Moses basket costing £3,500 and even a four-poster cot.

And if Meghan fancied a pamper once her baby boy arrived Molton Brown toiletries are available for everyone who stays there.

The cheapest maternity package starts at £15,000 but some parents have spent up to £500,000 to ensure their child is born in utmost luxury.

Princess Beatrice, whose parents are Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, was also born at the hospital (Getty Images)
Jamie Oliver's children have all also been delivered at the hospital (GC Images)

And almost half of all mums at the hospital opt for a Caesarean section, wth one consultant known for "doing a good scar".

The care doesn't end when mum and baby are discharged.

Each are provided with a goodie bag containing top-of-the-range tys, Champagne and a free photoshoot.

Just hours after Meghan delivered her baby son, whose name is yet t be announced, a beaming Harry gave a press conference announcing the arrival of the baby.

He said: "I'm very excited to announce that Meghan and myself had a baby boy this morning, a very healthy baby boy.

Meghan is reported to have given birth to her first child at the luxurious Portland Hospital (PA)
A happy Harry beamed as he told the world about the birth of his son (Sky News)

"I haven't been at many births. This is definitely my first birth - it was amazing, absolutely incredible.

"I'm so incredibly proud of my wife.

"And as every father and parent would say, your baby is absolutely amazing."

Harry was at his wife's side throughout the birth and the couple will now spend a few days celebrating as a family.

Harry added: "How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension. But we're both absolutely thrilled.

"But this little thing is absolutely to-die-for so I'm absolutely over the moon.

"It's been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined."

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