As the nation and the world await the imminent arrival of Harry and Meghan’s second child – a Californian girl who will be eighth in line to the throne and eligible to run for President – this film celebrates what it really means to be born royal. With a combination of nostalgic archive footage and interviews with royal experts and insiders, the programme provides a definitive insight into every stage of the royal baby story. We look at the pressures faced by royal mums-to-be, and how attitudes to pregnancy have changed from confinement to celebration, over the last 100 years. How does press intrusion into Princess Diana’s pregnancies compare to the birth of Meghan’s babies? Why have the royals moved from home (or rather palace) births to private hospitals… and, in the case of Zara Tindall, the bathroom floor? How do ancient protocols, like politicians witnessing royal births and formal announcements on the railing of Buckingham Palace, compare to a new generation of Instagram royals? And… what really happened at Meghan’s baby shower? We bring to life the earliest years of the most prominent members of the Windsors; christenings, childhood secrets, life inside the royal nursery, nannies, rebellions, duties and diets are explored – from the Queen to this latest Sussex baby, born into unprecedented and uncertain royal times.
A Very Royal Baby: From Cradle to Crown – Wednesday 9pm on Channel 4
