Typically, royals — Kate Middleton, for example — skip baby showers altogether.
"My girlfriends surprised me with a really beautiful baby shower in New York," Meghan recalled of the event, which took place in a suite at the Mark Hotel. "They were like, we're gonna shower her with love, we're gonna shower her baby with love, and she's gonna survive this." The attendees at Meghan's baby shower.
One idea is that baby showers started around or before 1500 A.D. with the Native Americans when people gave gifts to pregnant women. Another school of thought says that baby showers originated with Egyptians and Greeks. They gave gifts, not to the mother but to their deities.
The Guests
The party's MVP was Serena Williams, who according to Tatler reportedly footed the $200,000 bill for the party. (What are best friends for?)
Baby Shower Hosting Etiquette
Traditionally, close friends, cousins, aunts, sisters-in-law, and coworkers of the parents-to-be have been the appropriate hosts for baby shower parties.
Strict rules like “female guests only,” “the parent-to-be or their immediate family can't host the shower” and “you shouldn't have a shower for any baby after your first” were largely indisputable 60 to 80 years ago. Some people love sticking with those traditions, but with new decades come new flexibility.
So it is normal for the cost to be split between the host and the key organisers. This way the cost is shared with her closest family and friends. Guests are not expected to pay for attending the baby shower.
No baby showers
While the concept of a baby shower might be popular across the Atlantic Ocean in North America, they are a big no-no when it comes to the Royal Family.
According to a new report from People, she and Harry reportedly pay for all of the clothes themselves. Royals don't accept clothes for free. Once the couple is married, Prince Charles will provide a budget for her clothing for official outings.
The royal family announced that they would pay for the wedding. The costs for the cake, the florist, and the catering had been estimated to be £50,000, £110,000, and £286,000 respectively, and the overall cost was expected to be around £32 million.
Men are allowed at baby showers — especially if the father's in attendance. It's rare for a mom to have a co-ed or Jack&Jill baby shower and not invite any of her and the father's male friends and family members.
The modern baby shower originated during the 1950's baby boom in the USA. The purpose of the celebration was (and still is) to give the mother-to-be much-needed baby items. The name baby shower comes from 'showering the mother with gifts and love'.
While baby showers have traditionally been all-female affairs, it's becoming more and more popular to throw “co-ed” baby showers, including both male and female guests. Also, sometimes people throw multiple showers.
Meghan additionally never considered giving birth at Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital (where Kate Middleton gave birth to all three children), opting to give birth at Portland Hospital instead. Meghan had an "uncomplicated" birth and did not deliver by C-section.
Two thirds of British mums-to-be are organising baby shower parties – and admit they do it for the baby gifts! Despite baby showers being an American tradition, it looks like UK mums-to-be are getting in on the party action, with more and more pregnant women planning theirs – and with high expectations.
Markle said she was holding the couple's 18-month-old son, Archie Harrison, when she felt a “sharp cramp” and dropped to the floor holding Archie in her arms. “I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,” she wrote. “Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand.
Today a London court decided that, if he chooses to visit the land of his birth, Harry can't have police protection, even if he were to pay for it out of pocket. Tax dollars fund security for the rest of the royal family, and in Britain, only police officers are licensed to carry guns.
Royals do not accept free clothes; they will never keep gifted outfits.
As the new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate receive a majority of their income from a private estate called the Duchy of Cornwall, which was established in 1337 to financially support the heir to the throne, according to CNN.
Royal Moms Don't Have Baby Showers
Royal babies go through diapers just as fast as regular babies, after all.
Royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told Fabulous, "Underwear and bras are also considered private intimate wear, and for royals to put intimate apparel on display would simply not be done."
The Queen has a bath every morning, drawn by her maid while she sips a cup of tea. It's believed that the royals prefer to avoid taking showers, due to their belief that they're for members of the working class.
If you're worried that no one will offer to throw a baby shower for you (which is highly unlikely), talk to your best friend or a close relative and, if you're comfortable doing so, ask her to take the reins.
Though a gift is expected if a guest attends, guests should only be invited to help celebrate the upcoming arrival, not for the gift they bring. If a guest is invited to a shower but can't attend, there is no obligation to send a gift, though they certainly may if they want to.
Baby showers last on average 2-3 hours, depending on what's planned for the celebration. Plan for enough time to enjoy all of the baby shower games and activities you have planned for the day.