Royals have been having babies for hundreds of years. At this point, it takes something truly unexpected to earn a footnote in the royal history books. All of the royal firsts appear to be covered. Queen Victoria took chloroform during childbirth. Prince William was the first direct heir to be born in a hospital. We’ve had decades of royal mothers exiting maternity wards in carefully chosen outfits, smiling politely for the press while quietly recovering from what was, let’s be honest, global interest in a deeply personal event.
Just when we thought the tradition had been perfected. Along comes Meghan. Twerking. In hospital. To bring on labour.
The video, shared on social media to mark Princess Lilibet’s fourth birthday, shows a heavily pregnant Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, dancing with enthusiasm in a hospital room, hoping to get things moving. No doubt in 10 years, Lilibet may look back and cringe, wondering why she couldn’t have had a nice, boring royal birth like the rest of her ancestors.
Royal watchers were, predictably, horrified. Shocked. Aghast. Much of the response was openly derisive. But I, for one, think Meghan should be hailed as a trailblazer. A history-making royal birth we’d never have heard about if not for the famously privacy-seeking couple letting a little daylight in on the… ahem… magic.
The result of sharing the video has been, predictably, more speculation. If Meghan was trying to troll her detractors, it worked, though not quite in her favour. Yes, she did it her way, possibly as a not-so-subtle response to years of whispers about her pregnancies. The conspiracy theories, the scrutiny over her belly, the surrogacy accusations. None of it put to rest. If anything, the video just gave people more to pick apart. A hip thrust and a smile can only do so much.
Whether Queen Victoria would have approved is difficult to say. It’s just as likely she wouldn’t have known what twerking was and would have had to be told by a footman.
In any case, Meghan has become the first royal mother to twerk her way into the historical record. Not through tradition or duty, but by dancing to induce labour. It’s not the usual route to royal legacy, but it appears to have worked.
A trailblazer? A cautionary tale? Depends who you ask. But one thing is clear, future royal mothers have a very tough act to follow.
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