The first gender neutral Royal baby? Harry and Meghan plan 'fluid approach' to ...

Having reported on the Royals for more than ten years, I've heard some extraordinary things. 

But the information I was given at the end of last week left me startled. 

Meghan and Harry, I was told, are considering raising their child 'gender neutral' – understood to mean they will not enforce any male or female stereotypes.

The exact phrase the Duchess apparently used, that they plan to take a 'fluid approach' to child rearing, initially sounded so odd that I wondered if it could possibly be true.

Gender neutral:  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to be looking at bring up their child without gender stereotypes 

Gender neutral:  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to be looking at bring up their child without gender stereotypes 

According to the source, who has known the Duchess for many years and was at her wedding: 'Meghan has been talking to some of her friends about the birth and how she and Harry plan to raise their baby.

'She said they plan to raise their child with a fluid approach to gender and they won't be imposing any stereotypes.'

So what will this actually mean?

By far the most likely scenario is that the couple could choose to forgo traditional blues and pinks to match the baby's gender. They could also avoid conventional gender-biased toys such as dolls for girls and train sets for boys.

The story, first reported in The Mail on Sunday last weekend and later in Vanity Fair, was picked up around the world.

Significantly, last night a senior Kensington Palace aide refused to rule out the possibility of the baby being raised gender neutral.

This could be yet another sign that the Duchess is determined to shake up the way that young Royals are raised.

Gone with traditional: Meghan pictured meeting youngsters on a recent trip to Morocco will do away with blue and pink colour schemes and would not wish them to be surrounded with conventional toys

Gone with traditional: Meghan pictured meeting youngsters on a recent trip to Morocco will do away with blue and pink colour schemes and would not wish them to be surrounded with conventional toys

Keeping quiet: Kensington Palace have refused to comment on plans to bring up the baby gender fluid 

Keeping quiet: Kensington Palace have refused to comment on plans to bring up the baby gender fluid 

Wanting her say: The duchess very much is determined to put her own stamp on things

Wanting her say: The duchess very much is determined to put her own stamp on things

Take the couple's new home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, for instance. The couple are currently renovating it, and are understood to have chosen neutral grey and white hues for the nursery, rather than the blue or pink.

Meghan is, of course, already known for being her own person at the Palace.

'She is a 37-year-old woman who had a career before coming here. She'll have ideas and influences over things,' says a close source.

The Sussexes claim publicly that they do not know the sex of their baby. But in private Meghan is understood to have told friends who attended her recent baby shower that the child is a boy.

Whatever the gender, those close to the couple insist they will be 'open-minded and liberal' parents.

There has been a recent trend for celebrity parents, such as British singer Paloma Faith and Hollywood actress Kate Hudson, to raise their children as completely gender neutral – in other words, as neither girls nor boys – an approach which allows, apparently, the freedom for the youngsters to define themselves as they see fit.

But it's doubtful the Royal couple will take it to such an extreme. So don't expect to see a Prince in a tutu, or hear news that they're abandoning 'he' and 'she' pronouns altogether.

'They'll have the baby and then decide how to raise it,' one source said. 'If they choose to go down a gender neutral route then there will be a balance.

'If it is a boy, they will dress him like a boy and if it's a girl they will dress her like a girl.'

But what they won't be keen on is forcing their child to conform to other gender stereotypes.

The Cambridges have allowed their children enjoy 'normal' lives through their modern view of parenting

The Cambridges have allowed their children enjoy 'normal' lives through their modern view of parenting

The Cambridges have also

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