Here's Exactly How Royal Births Have Changed Through the Years

Before the 20th century, it was customary for royals to give birth at home, and for them, that meant flashier locations than your standard house. Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace, while Queen Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Hospital births would not become the norm until Princess Anne, Elizabeth's daughter, decided on one.

Before Diana, royal mothers followed a birth custom of the time for delivery: "Twilight Birth," in which the laboring mother is drugged, and while in and out of consciousness, a doctor used forceps to take the baby out. This is how Queen Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Andrew, and Queen Victoria's drug of choice was even wilder: she used chloroform, and she loved it.

Diana, on the other hand, opted for a more natural birth, even choosing an upright position.

Princess Diana changed the way royals — and women everywhere — give birth when she became a mother in 1982. She chose to give birth to Prince William at a hospital instead of at home — St. Mary's, to be exact (Princess Anne had also delivered there before her). Princess Diana gave birth to Harry there as well and set the example Kate Middleton followed, who has given birth to all three of her children in the same hospital.

It's been a long tradition for royals to pose with their new babies, with Kate Middleton and Prince William debuting their three children right outside of the hospital soon after they were born. This, however, was one of the traditions Meghan broke.

We didn't get a photo of Meghan and Harry's baby hours after birth — though we have them now! Instead, the couple have kept the details of their baby's birth private, including where Meghan gave birth. Meghan was rumored to be considering a London wellness center, and it was reported that she might have worked with a doula.