A week after the birth of Eugenie of York’s son, The Mirror makes some surprising revelations about the maternity hospital where Prince Harry’s cousin gave birth. It is an establishment where “many famous babies” have been born and where young parents are offered a top-of-the-range service.
A royal baby means a royal maternity hospital. This Tuesday 30 May, Princess Eugenie of York gave birth to a second baby boy named Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, “born at 8:49am and weighing 3kg 200”, she announced on Instagram. The baby was born in one of the rooms at Portland Hospital, “which has given birth to many famous babies, including Eugenie herself in 1990 and her eldest son August two years ago”, as well as Prince Archie, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to the Mirror.
A stay at the hospital’s maternity ward could cost Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s daughter between £7,145 and £500,000 (between €8,300 and €580,000), “depending on how many extras the mother-to-be asks for”, reveals the magazine. For the “average price of £30,000” (€34,000, editor’s note) for a stay, the hospital offers young mothers the chance to “enjoy delicious meals prepared in the hotel’s kitchen, which offers refined cuisine 24 hours a day”. Behind the stoves is a chef who offers “foie gras, lobster and oysters”, as well as “fantastic champagne and Dom Pérignon”, as one of the chefs who has worked there explains.
Top-of-the-range equipment” for Eugénie d’York’s birth
This service is complemented by “top-of-the-range facilities”, including “a private photography company for newborn photo sessions” and “a souvenir shop offering trinkets such as silver and bronze casts of babies’ feet”. Mums can also benefit from individual care and their babies are “electrically tagged” with a computer system “so that we know where they are at all times”.
Parents who don’t want to see their newborn in a plastic cot are provided with branded children’s furniture, including “a Moses basket costing £3,500 (€4,000) and even a four-poster bed”. “I’ve seen someone spend £500,000. We have princesses from the Middle East who come and deliver here quite regularly,” the hospital’s former chief executive, Janene Madden, told us.
Photo credits: Agence / Bestimage