Princess Eugenie gives birth in same hospital as Meghan Markle - with one key difference

Princess Eugenie has given birth to her first child at the same hospital she was born in - The Portland Hospital in London's West End.

The Queen's granddaughter welcomed a healthy baby boy weighing 8lbs 1oz just before 8am this morning.

She and husband Jack Brooksbank followed in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's footsteps by selecting the fancy private hospital, which is believed to charge about £20,000 for a maternity stay.

While both royal women gave birth at the same location, there was one big difference in their approach - Eugenie made the location public.

Meghan and Harry desperately tried to keep the place of Archie's birth secret, and it was only revealed when they had to write it on his birth certificate.

However Eugenie and Jack published the information on the statement announcing the birth, released by the royal family.

It said: "Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie was safely delivered a son today, 9th February 2021, at 08:55hrs at The Portland Hospital. Jack Brooksbank was present.

"The baby weighs 8lbs 1oz.

"This is Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s first child, The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York’s first grandchild, and the ninth great-grandchild for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."

The Portland is very popular with pregnant celebrities, and many very famous mums have given birth there - including Victoria Beckham, Jamie Oliver's wife, Jools, Jerry Hall, Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, Benazir Bhutto, Trudi Styler,  Patsy Kensit, Victoria Wood and Julie Walters.

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.

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.

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.

Sarah Ferguson had both Eugenie and her older sister, Princess Beatrice, at the hospital in 1988 and 1990.

After the birth, the Duchess of York and her then husband, Prince Andrew, posed on the steps outside the hospital before heading home as is traditional for members of the royal family.

However, Eugenie shared the first photo on Instagram - a cute shot showing the baby boy's tiny hand.