What To Expect, When You're Expecting a Royal Baby
With a new royal baby due very soon, we thought it would be fun to delve into some royal history to see what traditions William and Kate have kept and what traditions they have broken.
The Duke and Duchess are expecting their third child and this already breaks a long 58 years of only two royal babies being born into each family. They are the first of the Queen's immediate family to have three children.
Royal baby genders are not revealed before birth. Whether William and Kate know if they have a prince or a princess on the way is still not known for sure however we expect gender reveal parties are a no no for the royals.
For any expected parents baby names are important however we can choose our babies names without too much speculation from the public and our baby names don’t have odds on them at the bookies. Royal babies are typically born with four first names and don’t require a surname. In a break with the tradition Prince George and Princess Charlotte both have three first names. History shows that if royals had a surname it was of the county they ruled, this is the same today for Prince George, at school he will be known as George Cambridge.
Moving onto the birth, for centuries royal babies were born at home. Princess Diana broke this tradition and opted to have her Princes at St. Marys Hospital in the now famous Lindo Wing. Kate has opted for the same for her first two children however it is rumoured that Kate may opt for a home birth this time round.
No Facebook announcements for the Royals. Once a royal baby has been born, the Queen must be one of the first to know. Once the necessary people are informed, a birth announcement is then displayed on an easel in front of Buckingham Palace. The birth is also announced by an unofficial town crier. This comes from medieval times when a majority of the townspeople in the country could not read or write. A little more formal then the now norm social media post.
So, what do you gift a royal baby? Foreign leaders from around the world send gifts. It was reported in 2013 that Prince George was sent a shawl made from fine merino wool by the New Zealand government.
It is common for royal babies to be christened weeks after they are born. They traditionally have alot of godparents, around 6 and above is common. Immediate family are not usually included in this, so Prince Harry missed out on this honour for his little nephew and niece. There is no need for new royal parents to worry about what their little one will wear as 62 royal babies have worn the same replica christening gown from Queen Victoria’s reign in 1841 for their special day.
