Carrie Johnson and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have welcomed a baby girl at a hospital in London, rumoured to be UCLH or St Thomas. But how much did it cost? £0.
Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, has given birth to a baby girl, a second child for the couple who got married in May this year and the seventh for the prime minister.
In contrast to the reports of Carrie and Boris spending over £100,000 for the Ten Downing Street flat refurb, Carrie Johnson opted for a free NHS birth, unlike the Royal Family ladies whose birth’s cost eye-watering amounts.
Pregnancy and childbirth experts at CFAH looked into the most expensive royal birth packages across hospitals in the UK and US to rank them in order of expense.
While Carrie Johnson had the least expensive birth in a free NHS hospital, Meghan Markle had the costliest royal birth in the UK and then in California, each costing over £10,000. Princess Beatrice is in second place with her birth package costing £8,775, and Kate Middleton came in third with her birth at The Portland costing £7,500.
Mother: Carrie Johnson
Hospital: Rumoured to be UCLH or St Thomas’
Cost: £0
Carrie Johnson gave birth to a baby girl at a London NHS hospital, rumoured to be UCLH or St Thomas’ (the closest hospitals to 10 Downing Street). A spokesperson for the couple said: “The prime minister and Mrs Johnson are delighted to announce the birth of a healthy baby girl at a London hospital earlier today. Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support.”
Mother: Princess Beatrice
Hospital: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Cost: £6,475 – £10,650
Princess Beatrice gave birth at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s private wing. Prices in the private Kensington Wing vary depending on if the new mum opts for midwife-led or consultant care. If they want consultant-led care, the cheapest package is the “vaginal delivery package”, which costs £6,475. The most expensive package is the “platinum emergency or elective section package”, which is £9,050. Meanwhile, for mums wanting midwife-led care, the cheapest package is the £8,775 “vaginal delivery package”, while the most expensive is the £10,650 “platinum emergency or elective section package”.
The hospital boasts £75 bottles of champagne and smoked salmon for a post-birth snack, as well as state of the art flat-screen TV’s and luxurious walk-in showers.
Mother: Kate Middleton
Hospital: St Mary’s Hospital – Lindo Wing
Cost: £5,900 – £7,500
The Duchess of Cambridge chose to follow a long line of royals including Princess Anne and Princess Diana to give birth in the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital. The exclusive maternity ward has a range of high-profile patients and prices start at £5,900 for a one-night stay – and can rise to £6,275 for a deluxe package. If you wish to stay an additional night, it can cost you £1,175. The price for a stay in one of the unit’s suites is available on request, but it is thought to be closer to £7,500.
The package includes midwifery care, theatre fees, routine midwife appointments, blood tests, paediatrician fee for first baby, nursery care, meals, celebration afternoon tea and accommodation for your partner.
Mother: Meghan Markle & Sarah Fergusson
Hospital: The Portland Hospital
Cost: £10,000+
Meghan Markle gave birth to her first child, Archie, at the exclusive Portland Hospital – also the maternity ward of choice for celebrities from Victoria Beckham and Claudia Schiffer. Sarah Fergusson also chose to give birth to her daughters here.
With five-star catering, state-of-the-art facilities, the undivided attention of a consultant and silver hand-crafted baby mementos, this can set parents back tens of thousands of pounds. Luckily for them, the royals can certainly afford it!
Mother: Sophie Countess of Wessex
Hospital: NHS Frimley Park Hospital
Cost: £0
Sophie’s little girl was premature, and she had to undergo an emergency c-section at the NHS funded hospital, Frimley Park in Camberley.
Sophie opted to have her second child at the hospital too, and in 2014, Sophie made an emotional visit back to the NHS hospital, where she was honoured to open its new neonatal unit.
Mother: Meghan Markle
Hospital: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (California)
Cost: £10,000- £20,000
The architecturally Spanish themed oasis in California is where Meghan and Harry welcomed their second child, Lilibet. With birth packages costing up to £20,000, this isn’t the cheap option, and looks more like a hotel than a hospital. (A natural birth will cost £10,000 while a Caesarean section is £20,000.)
Each of the Birthing Rooms has a recliner, a rocking chair, and a sofa to complement the birthing bed with a generous number of pillows for comfort. Every room has wifi, a video monitor and computer keyboard. There is a menu for food orders and room service, as well as a pantry so women in labour and loved ones can help themselves to snacks at any time they wish.
CFAH conducted the research.
Photo credentials: abcmundialweb
