Prince Harry ‘plans to take two weeks of paternity leave’ after the birth of his baby

Prince Harry ‘plans to take two weeks of paternity leave’ after the birth of his baby because ‘he thinks it’s a very modern dad thing to do’

  • Prince Harry is expected to take two weeks away from royal engagements
  • He wants to be a ‘very moden dad’ and support his wife the Duchess of Sussex
  • Meghan could give birth as early as next week if she goes into premature labour 

Prince Harry will take two weeks paternity leave when his baby with the Duchess of Sussex is born.

The royal is expected to take a break from official engagements in order to help his wife look after their baby because ‘it’s a very modern Dad thing to do’.

Meghan could give birth as soon as next week if she has her baby prematurely and medics are watching the 37-year-old closely.

Prince Harry is expected to take a break from official engagements in order to help his wife the Duchess of Sussex look after their baby because ‘it’s a very modern Dad thing to do’

It is thought an excited Prince Harry has already created a playlist for the birth featuring Handel's Eternal Source of Light Divine, which Meghan walked down the aisle to, and Circle of Life by Elton John

It is thought an excited Prince Harry has already created a playlist for the birth featuring Handel’s Eternal Source of Light Divine, which Meghan walked down the aisle to, and Circle of Life by Elton John

But as soon as the baby is born Harry is expected to take time away to fully support his wife.

A friend of Harry’s told the Express: ‘He doesn’t need to take paternity leave because he doesn’t work in the way most people do, but he thinks it’s a very modern Dad thing to do.’

Harry’s last paid job was as a captain in the army for ten years with his commission ending in 2015.

Now the royal’s duties are co-funded by the Queen and the Prince of Wales.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘I’m sure Her Majesty will accommodate a break from duties.’

Shared Parental Leave was first introduced in 2015 when for the first time women could transfer some of their maternity leave to their partners for the two weeks after they gave birth or adopted a child.

But while mothers can claim up to £145.18 a week for 52 weeks, fathers are only entitled to a maximum of two weeks leave.

And as few as two per cent of eligible new parents took shared parental leave last year, according to Government figures. 

Olga FitzRoy, founder of Parental Pay Equality, told MailOnline: ‘We think it’s incredibly important for fathers to be involved in the care of their children from day one, both to bond with their babies and gain confidence and skills in childcare, and of course to support the mothers in the early days. 

‘We are pleased that Prince Harry is taking paternity leave, but would remind readers that 100,000 dads every year get no paternity or parental leave whatsoever as they are self-employed. 

‘It’s time the government caught up and introduced paternity & shared parental leave for all dads, because unequal caring responsibilities are one of the main contributors to the gender pay gap.’

Until the royal couple’s baby is born medics will regularly test the Duchess of Sussex for high-blood pressure and protein in urine to check for any conditions.

One potentially deadly illness, pre-eclaspsia, is common in pregnant women over the age of 35.

But it can lead to stoke, heart failure and threaten the life of an unborn child.

Dr Amin Gorgy, fertility consultant at The Fertility & Gynaecology Academy, told the Express: ‘Megan, and older mothers in general above the age of 35, have an increased risk of giving birth early.

‘According to a very large Canadian study, women aged between 35 and 39 are 35 per cent more likely to go into premature labour than women aged 30 to 34.’ 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk