MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their daughter Lilibet to the world at a Santa Barbara hospital where it costs a staggering £20,000 to give birth.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born just ten minutes from the couple's mansion at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on June 4.

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The not-for-profit hospital was founded in 1888 by a group of 50 women from the area who "recognised it was time for the growing community to have a hospital."

It's believed that the Duke and Duchess' pal and neighbour Katy Perry gave birth to her daughter Daisy at the same hospital last August.

The hospital says it has a staff of more than 600 physicians and the hospital welcomes 2,400 babies every year.

Situated in Santa Barbara, the hospital is one of the closest to their £11million mansion in nearby Montecito, which is around 10 minutes down the road by car.

A natural birth will cost around £10,000, while a Caesarean section is £20,000.

The birthing rooms at the hospital feature reclining chairs, a rocking chair and a sofa, as well as a "birthing bed with a generous number of pillows for comfort".

What we know so far:

• Meghan Markle gives birth to baby girl at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in LA after 'home birth plans'
• Meghan and Harry have given birth to a baby girl called Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in a touching nod to the Queen
• She was born at hospital in Santa Barbara on Friday morning weighing 7lbs 11oz
• Lili and Meghan are "healthy and well" and "settling in at home"
• Meghan and Harry have asked people to support organisations working for women and girls instead of giving a present
• Lili is now eighth in line to the throne, behind her older brother Archie
• Meghan and Harry kept birth a secret for two DAYS before announcing baby joy to the world
• Queen, William and Kate Middleton say they are 'delighted' after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcome baby Lilibet
• The clues Meghan Markle and Prince Harry chose their baby girl’s name Lili years earlier

Meghan would have had her own Jacuzzi tub for hydrotherapy and a "beautiful outside terrace" – for a change of scene during the early stages of labour.

The hospital offers room service, where expecting mothers can order dishes from a menu and snacks at the pantry are available "any time", the website states.

They also have state-of-the-art equipment in place for the mothers and newborns, according to the hospital's website.

The Cottage Hospital oversees sees 20,000 annual admissions and is run by parent company Cottage Health. 

It consists of a 519-bed acute care teaching hospital and trauma center, the largest of its kind between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. 

According to Cottage Health's website, it opened on December 8, 1891, when Santa Barbara's population was less than 5,000. 

The wider group now includes branches in Goleta and Santa Ynez and a rehabilitation centre that provides  a comprehensive range of services. 

This comes after it was previously reported Meghan was planning a home birth at her luxury LA mansion.

The Duchess of Sussex was initially said to be planning to deliver her daughter at home after giving birth to Archie in Portland Hospital, London, in 2019.

But their daughter was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital instead – with Meghan seemingly ditching the idea to have a home birth.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry named their daughter Lilibet – named in tribute to the Queen and Princess Diana.

Meghan and Harry said in a statement: “She is more than we could have ever imagined.”

She had announced her pregnancy on February 14, 2021, after revealing she had suffered a miscarriage a year after Archie was born.

In the article, she described the feeling as "an almost unbearable grief."

Royal experts said the choice of Lilibet, which the couple will shorten to Lili,may be an olive branch to the Royal Family after recent controversies.

A statement announced yesterday confirmed the baby girl weighed 7lbs 11oz and "both mother and child are healthy and well and settling in at home".

A statement published on their Archewell website said: "On June 4, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili.

"She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we've felt from across the globe.

"Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family."

Newborn Lili is now eighth in line to the throne, after her brother Archie who follows her proud daddy Prince Harry.

The Queen, Prince William, and Kate Middleton have congratulated Meghan and Harry on the birth of their daughter.

Her Majesty and the royals yesterday said they were "delighted" at the news and made a touching tribute to the couple and their baby girl.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tweeted: "We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili.

"Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his well wishes to the Sussexes, writing: "Many congratulations to The Duke & Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter."

The couple have also asked anyone wishing to send a present to instead "support or learn more" about organisations working for women and girls.

Meghan and Harry have not yet released a picture of their daughter.

Meghan and Harry are now likely to be taking parental leave from their work and various roles in LA as they welcome their baby girl into the world.

The baby is not entitled, at this stage, to be an HRH nor a princess due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V.

She can, however, become a Lady – although Harry and Meghan will likely style their second-born a Miss, as they did with Master Archie, using the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

This year has been a bumper one for royal babies after Princess Eugenie welcomed a son August in February and Zara Tindall had a boy Lucas in March.

Princess Beatrice is expecting her first child, who will be the Queen's 12th great grandchild, in the autumn.

Harry and Meghan’s only daughter is the most senior royal in the current line of succession to be born overseas.

Her arrival has pushed Prince Andrew, who was born second in line in 1960, down to ninth place.

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