Meghan Markle has made headlines time and time again over the last few years, including the time she held an extremely lavish baby shower in 2019.
Months before the birth of her first child Prince Archie, now five, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, flew to New York for a baby shower organised by a host of her celebrity friends.
While many expectant mothers enjoy a nice meal and a few presents for their own baby showers, Meghan’s was instead extremely pricey as it was held inside the largest hotel penthouse suite at the five-star Mark Hotel in New York.
The penthouse, which as reported by The Daily Mail spreads across 10,000 square feet and offers views of Central Park, reportedly costs £57,000 a night.
Spread across two floors, the suite has five bedrooms, two bars, four fireplaces, six bathrooms and two powder rooms.
Although Meghan was surrounded by some of her closest friends for the baby shower, including Suits star Abigail Spencer and tennis legend Serena Williams, no family members were present, with her sister-in-law Princess Kate also not among the 20 or so guests invited to the celebration.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Meghan enjoyed presents at the baby shower, as well as floral displays, Michelin-star quality food – including a cake – and activities.
It has been reported that the party cost anywhere from $300,000 (around £238,000) to $500,000 (£397,000) in total.
While Meghan received a lot of criticism for the baby shower, the duchess did address some of these in the Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan, which was released just over two years after the couple quit life as senior royals.
Talking about the celebration, Meghan said her friends surprised her with the baby shower and that it was not planned by her.
Speaking about some of the criticism she received in the media in the show, Meghan said.“It was so wrong.
“These independent, strong, successful women choose to use their own money, and it’s not taxpayer money, to throw a party for their friend from a place of love. Why are you taking such a beautiful moment and trying to ruin it?”
It is not known whether Meghan had a similar celebration ahead of the birth of her daughter Princess Lilibet in 2021, just over a year after the family moved to California.
