Meghan Markle had most expensive royal labour at LA hospital where births can cost £20k

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have topped the list for the most expensive royal births after welcoming daughter Lilibet in an LA hospital.

Birthing packages at their exclusive institution can cost up to £20,000.

However, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Molzzi, who welcomed their baby girl earlier in the week at the private wing Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, were not far behind.

Pregnancy experts as CFAH compiled a list of the most expensive royal birth packages ever, with Meghan’s second labour topping the list.

Meghan and Prince Harry traveled to California’s Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital to welcome Lilibet to the world.

The Spanish-themed oasis of luxury has birth packages costing up to £20,000 – so it isn’t surprising it looks more like a hotel than a hospital.

Natural births at the retreat cost £10,000, while a Caesarean section costs a whopping £20,000.

It is also believed that Daisy Perry, a pop star and friend of the Duchess and Duke of Cambridge, gave birth there last year.

There are over 600 doctors on staff at the hospital, and they welcome around 2,400 babies every year.

And there might have been a clear reason for Meghan and Harry to opt for the Cottage Hospital, as it’s one of the closest facilities to their £11million mansion in Montecito, and around a 10-minute drive by car.

The hospital’s three birthing rooms include a rocking chair, sofa and recliner.

Room service is available and patients can enjoy snacks from the fully-stocked pantry. Meghan would have loved her own Jacuzzi tub to do hydrotherapy during labor.

You will also find WiFi, a video monitor, and a keyboard in the rooms.

As one would expect, the hospital relies on state-of-the-art technology.

Meghan gave birth to Archie, her first child, at The Portland Hospital. Sarah Fergusson had also given birth to her daughters.

Births there can cost upwards of £10,000, and in keeping with its luxe prices, celebrities like Victoria Beckham have also given birth there.

It offers five-star food, unrivalled attention from a consultant, and silver-plated baby mementos. So it’s not surprising that the Royals choose to give birth there.

Vying for second place in the list is Princess Beatrice, with a birth that set her back £8,775.

She attended the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, which can cost anywhere from £6,475 to £10,650.

Prices in the private Kensington Wing vary – for consultant-led care with a “vaginal delivery package” it costs £6,475. But for midwife-led care, the “platinum emergency or elective section package” costs a whopping 10 grand.

The hospital has its reasons for the expense, however, as £75 bottles of champagne and smoked salmon are available for a cheeky post-birth snack.

You will also find flatscreen TVs in your room and luxurious walk-in bathtubs.

Sophie Countess Of Wessex had the cheapest birth, but she was able to welcome her baby at a NHS free hospital.

Louise, Sophie’s little girl, was born prematurely. She underwent an emergency C section at NHS Frimley Park Hospital Camberley.

The Countess decided to have James, her second child, at the hospital and made an emotional visit to the facility in 2014 to inaugurate its neonatal unit.

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