A ROYAL birth is always heralded with great fanfare, and the arrival of the Duchess of Cambridge’s third baby on April 23rd was no exception. Throngs of reporters waited for updates outside the Lindo Wing, a luxurious private maternity ward in London that has often been used by the royals and which boasts a comprehensive wine list for celebrating parents.

Yet the price of delivering the new prince, who is fifth in line to the British throne, was probably slightly less than that of an average American baby. In 2015, the Lindo Wing charged £5,670 ($8,900) for 24 hours in a deluxe room and a non-Caesarean delivery. A survey in the same year by the International Federation of Health Plans found that the average fee for such a delivery in the United States was $10,808. That rises to roughly $30,000 after accounting for care given before and after a pregnancy, according to Truven Health Analytics. Insurers cover most of the cost, but parents are still left with an average bill of about $3,000. In many European countries, free maternity care is available.