The Baby Name Rule Harry and Meghan Should Follow

As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle prepare to become parents for the first time, there is no doubt that the couple are brushing all the real protocols they should follow after birth.

But there is good news for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – prospective fathers will be far less limited on which names they can choose for their children.

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While there is an unspoken rule that those on the throne line should name descendants after past kings or other royal ancestors, those who are not in direct succession have much more freedom.

A perfect example is Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, who have made the real equivalent of naming their daughters, Blanket and Apple, choosing the names Beatrice and Eugenie.

"The further down the line, the more likely you are to have a more unique or non-traditional name," Carolyn Harris, author of Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting, told Vogue Australia.

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"We see from the diversity of names among the Queen's descendants that the queen seems to be willing to let the descendants choose their own names."

However, there is still a tradition that Meghan and Harry must follow – waiting several days to publicly disclose their baby's name so they can tell Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the royal family first.

According to the real commentator Victoria Arbiter, the reasons for this are so they can celebrate their new arrival in private and check if the name is appropriate.