Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex is considering a home birth at Windsor later this month, friends have revealed.

Meghan, 37, is keen to follow in the Queen's footsteps by having a midwife-led birth at Frogmore Cottage, the new home she shares with Prince Harry on the Berkshire estate.

The Queen was born at the Mayfair home of her grandparents and gave birth to each of her four children at either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House.

Sources stressed that Harry and Meghan, who are expecting their first child within weeks, have not ruled out a hospital delivery because a woman having a baby over the age of 35 is at an increased risk of premature birth or the need for an epidural or caesarean.

Meghan will, however, have had to consider that for women having their first baby, home birth slightly increases the risk of serious problems for the child – from five in 1,000 for a hospital birth to nine in 1,000 for a home birth.

That said, the Royal Family has a long history of women giving birth successfully at home. The Queen Mother gave birth to the Queen on April 21, 1926 at the London home of her grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.The Queen herself gave birth to Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward at either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House.

Harry and Meghan, who completed their move to Frogmore last week, see the cottage as their 'forever home'. They believe it will enable them to bring up their family outside the scrutiny of palace life. A Kensington Palace spokesman declined to comment.