MEGHAN MARKLE, 38, and Prince Harry, 35, welcomed their first child in May 2018. While pregnant, she took part in one particular pregnancy tradition. What did Kate Middleton do?

Meghan Markle: Sneak peak inside New York baby shower

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are set to leave their roles as senior royals on March 31 this year. The couple announced they want to focus on spending time with Archie Harrison, ten months, who was born in May 2019. While pregnant, Meghan enjoyed a pregnancy traditions Kate Middleton was banned from doing.

While announcing their royal “step back”, Meghan and Prince Harry explained they wanted to focus on their son, Archie Harrison.

A statement on “sussexoyal” Instagram read: “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.

“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”

Since Archie Harrison was born, Meghan and Prince Harry have kept him away out of the public eye.

Meghan Markle: She had a baby shower while pregnant (Image: GETTY)

Meghan Markle: The baby shower was held in New York (Image: GETTY)

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However, the Duchess was often spotted out in public while she was pregnant.

Towards the end of her pregnancy, the royal travelled to the States for a baby shower.

The popular pregnancy tradition usually involves a gathering of the mother’s friends and family.

Meghan’s shower was a star-studded event held at the five star The Mark Hotel in New York and it reportedly lasted two days.

Tennis champion Serena William was believed to have helped arrange the celebration and it reportedly cost an eye-watering £163,000.

Baby showers may be particularly popular in the States, but they are held by expectant mothers across the world.

Kate Middleton is the wife of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.

She is part of the Royal Family and the mother of Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one.

Meghan Markle: Kate Middleton is not thought to have had a baby shower (Image: GETTY)

Although Kate has three children, she is not thought to have had any baby showers.

It was reported her sister, Pippa Middleton, hosted one for Kate but this was not confirmed.

The Duchess of Cambridge skipping on the tradition could have been a royal request, an expert suggested.

Speaking to People magazine, royal expert Victoria Arbiter said: “A lavish baby shower would be seen as highly inappropriate.

“There’s nothing they can’t go out and buy themselves.”

Meghan Markle: The Duchess of Sussex is a mother-of-one (Image: GETTY)

Meghan Markle: She is the wife of Prince Harry (Image: EXPRESS)

Members of the Royal Family are not supposed to publicly accept gifts.

This could be one of the reasons Kate chose to skip having a baby shower.

As the tradition is more popular in America, the royal may not have been bothered about celebrating in that way anyway.

Who is Meghan Markle? Quick profile

Meghan Markle was born Rachel Meghan Markle, on August 4, 1981 to parents Doria Ragland and father Thomas Markle.

Her father was previously married to Roslyn Loveless and Meghan has two elder half sibling – sister Samantha Markle and brother Thomas Markle Junior.

Actress

Meghan’s first television appearance in the USA was in an episode of the medical drama General Hospital in 2002.

She later moved on to roles in CSI, Without a Trace and Castle along with bit parts in Hollywood films including Get Him to the Greek, Remember Me and Horrible Bosses.

Meghan was also a “briefcase girl” on Deal or No Deal – but her most famous role was as Rachel Zane in legal drama Suits, which launched in 2011.

She was written out in the finale of the seventh series when her character got married, which aired in April 2018 – just before she got married herself.

Charity and humanitarian work

Meghan Markle’s career in television has gone hand-in-hand with her support for causes close to her heart.

She wrote about the stigma around menstrual health in an article for Time magazine and was a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada – with whom she travelled to Rwanda for the charity’s Clean Water Campaign.

And her commitment to gender equality has seen her work with the United Nations – receiving a standing ovation in 2015 for her speech to mark International Women’s Day.

Relationships

In September 2011, she wed film producer Trevor Engelson, who she began dating in 2004.

But the pair divorced two years later in August 2013, citing irreconcilable difference.

She was in a relationship with celebrity chef Cory Vitiello for almost two years, before they broke it off in 2016 but the two remain good friends.

And in June 2016, she met Prince Harry on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.

Their relationship began in October that year and just over one year later, on November 27, 2017, the pair announced their engagement.

They married on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.