Meghan Markle's Maternity Leave Could Be Starting Soon — Here's Why

It's wild to think about, but the Duchess of Sussex is set to give birth in just a couple of months. And ahead of the due date, some people are likely curious about when Meghan Markle's maternity leave will start. If the mom-to-be follows in Kate Middleton's footsteps, she'll likely dip out of the public eye sooner than later.

Markle is expected to give birth in the spring, which is right around the corner. Although the Duchess of Sussex has been busy leading up to the delivery (she recently traveled to Morocco with Prince Harry for work, according to Harper's Bazaar), the mom will enjoy some downtime after her little one's arrival.

In the past, it has been custom for Kensington Palace to announce when a royal's maternity leave will start and end. In the case of the Duchess of Cambridge's last pregnancy with Prince Louis, she took off in March 2018 and resumed her public duties in October 2018. "The Duchess of Cambridge will visit the @SCTrust Forest School and Wildlife Garden at Paddington Recreation Ground on Tuesday 2nd October," Kensington Palace tweeted prior to Middleton's return to the public eye.

Considering Markle's pregnancy closely lines up with the timeline of Middleton's last one (she welcomed Prince Louis into the world in April 2018), it's possible her maternity leave will also start in March (aka next month).

It's not clear, however, when Markle will return to work after she gives birth in the spring. That's because there's no concrete schedule in place for a royal's maternity leave — Middleton, for instance, "returned to work just six weeks after Prince George's birth in 2013, and four months after giving birth to Princess Charlotte in 2015," according to HELLO! Magazine.

As for Markle's maternity plans, it sounds like she intends to rest at her private residence, Frogmore Cottage, in the months following the birth. "Harry and Meghan will have plenty of privacy as Frogmore Cottage is located in the Home Park, which is off limits to the public," a source previously explained, according to Marie Claire. "This means they can enjoy country walks, with Meghan able to push her buggy around the park without being snapped by photographers or members of the public."

What a sweet image, right?

If Markle ever gets bored during her time at home, she can find plenty of activities waiting for her at Home Park. "Harry and Meghan can walk their dogs, go anywhere in the park freely. There's a nine-hole golf course in the grounds of the Home Park, ten minutes away from Frogmore Cottage," the insider added, according to HELLO! Magazine. "There's the Mulberry Walk with the mulberry trees; the chefs used to go and pick mulberries to make mulberry gin for Prince Philip."

Mulberry gin? Sign me up.

But wait — that's not all. The mom-to-be is in walking distance to the Queen's residence at Windsor Castle — according to the Royal Household, it's just "half a mile south of Windsor Castle — making it an ideal spot to raise her little one.

Although it remains to be seen whether Markle will start her maternity leave in March, it's clear her and Prince Harry's new home is the perfect place to spend her first months as a mom.