The Princess of Cambridge, fourth in line to the British throne, sleeps soundly cameras during her public debut Sunday.JOHN STILLWELL/AFP / Getty Images
The Princess of Cambridge slept through her debut in front of the world's media, dressed in a cream-coloured woollen bonnet tied under her chubby cheeks and wrapped tightly in a soft, white blanket.
The sound of cheers, clapping and jostling photographers, eager to get the best shot of the fourth in line to the throne, didn't even rouse her. Born earlier in the day – Saturday, May 2, at 8:34 a.m., weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces – she was oblivious to the commotion. As of Sunday night, she had yet to be officially named, although bets put Charlotte and Alice among the favourites.
Bookmakers had been putting money on a princess, and many in the country were hoping for a girl, too. Even Prince Charles had been heard to say he was hoping for a granddaughter. In celebration of the birth of a great-granddaughter – her fifth great-grandchild – Queen Elizabeth dressed in a bright pink outfit and matching hat during an official appearance on Saturday at Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire.
The young royal family now has a perfect fairy-tale cast. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, once a commoner, inhabits her royal role after four years of marriage like someone who was born to it. She emerged from the Lindo Wing, the private maternity facility of St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, looking as though she had spent the day at a spa. Her long hair perfectly blown out, she wore a Jenny Packham dress with a pattern of yellow flowers, perfect for the English spring.
Earlier in the day, Prince William had gone home to Kensington Palace to collect his son, Prince George, so he could pay a visit to his baby sister in the hospital. When he arrived, he looked adorable in pressed blue shorts, a matching sweater and knee socks, his blond hair neatly parted on one side. He attempted to walk a bit and then gestured to be lifted up into the arms of his father. He then peered over Prince William's shoulder at the big media beast with a look of curiosity and gave a little wave.
A theatre director could not have managed a better show.
The Great Kate Wait was looking to be a calm, rather ho-hum affair until the Duchess of Cambridge passed her rumoured due date by a week.
But she even managed that well. Kensington Palace, reportedly on her request, sent a box of pastries and coffees to the so-called royal super-fans, diehard monarchists, swathed in Union Jacks and accessorized with buttons, who had been camping out on the sidewalk by the hospital entrance since April 20.
By Friday, media outlets were beginning to act as jittery as first-time parents. Was that a motorcade with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leaving Kensington Palace? Uh, nope. Maybe just one of the other royals who have apartments there going out for tea. Wait! A two-car convoy police escort was spotted in the Bucklebury area of West Berkshire, near the home of Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton. Could it be them on their way to London? Sorry, false alarm.
It was pandemonium all over again – even for the spare to the heir.
Finally, at midnight came the news that the Duchess was in labour. And three hours later, news broke, via press release and then royal tweet, that the 33-year-old mother had produced a princess.
This spring has been a season of anticipation in the United Kingdom, and not only because of interest in the latest royal baby.
There's another outcome of national importance that many are anxiously waiting to see – the size and genetic makeup of a coalition government in the upcoming general election on May 7. Polls indicate it's too close to call.
Prior to the excitement brought on by the late delivery, many people seemed more preoccupied over whether the Conservatives and David Cameron will hold on to power or lose to the Labour Party under Ed Miliband in an alliance with Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the secessionist Scottish National Party.
For the time being, at least, the arrival the princess is a welcome distraction from the potential of a seismic shift in political power.
A sense of restraint had been at play in the run-up to the birth, imposed in part by the Duke and Duchess themselves, who are known for their efforts to create a normal and modern family life – as much as that is possible under the glare of prying media. (A photograph of Kate driving a Range Rover to her mother-in-law's palace for a swim with 21-month-old Prince George, his nanny and some bodyguards earlier this week appeared on the front pages of several British newspapers.)
And with this child, the news value is diminished. The arrival of the couple's first child in July, 2013, had the country "on a pivotal socio-historical cliff edge," comments Robert Hardman, columnist with the Daily Mail and royal biographer of Her Majesty. Rules about royal succession had recently been altered, throwing out the ancient tradition of primogenitur, under which sons trump daughters in line to the throne. If the firstborn had been a girl, she would have made history. "There was a lot more riding on that birth," Mr. Hardman notes.
The birth of Prince George also marked the second time a sitting sovereign and three generations of direct heirs are alive at the same time. The last time that occurred had been in 1894, when Edward VII, George V and Edward VIII were in line to succeed Queen Victoria.
Not only that, Prince George was born in the summer, the "silly season" of frivolous headlines about posh horse races and aristocratic marriages. Journalists camped out for weeks to protect their positions in front of the Lindo Wing steps, where the young family poses for pictures with their new arrival, just as Princess Diana did with both her sons alongside Prince Charles. This time, the media positions were decided by ballot.
But the arrival of a baby, especially a royal one, whose life is far from the realities of everyday life, is like a holiday for the imagination. Now that one birth has occurred, public attention will soon swing back to the other imminent one, the emergence of a political entity that is unlikely to bring nearly as much uncomplicated, widespread joy.
Birthing at the Lindo
Few mothers would say that giving birth is a luxury experience, but if you're going to do it in 5-star style, there's no better place than the private maternity facility of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London. The cost of a birthing suite – a large room, designed with carpeting, curtains, built-in cupboards, an ensuite bathroom, TV screen, Internet access, and a cozy duvet on the bed – is about £6,000 ($11,000 CDN) a night, which includes the 10 per cent discount the Duchess of Cambridge will receive for being a return customer. Menu choices are not the usual fare, report mothers who have given birth there. Wine lists are available; newspapers delivered. And once the baby is born, nurses whisk him or her away for the night to the nursery should the new parents want to enjoy a celebratory supper by candlelight with champagne.
The Girl Factor
A lifetime of sparkly dresses and fabulous shoes awaits the princess. Like her mother, she is bound to have an effect on retail sales. When the Duchess of Cambridge appears in a stylish outfit – usually a "high street fashion," which means the clothes are not from expensive designers and are therefore within reach of loyal plebeians – it often sells out quickly, a phenomenon dubbed the "Kate effect." Clothing choices and products associated with Prince George have also caused a flurry at retail outlets. In fact, marketing experts have predicted that a princess will add £80 million ($150-million) to the British economy from sales of merchandise and tourism.
On succession
The spare to the heir is generally thought to have all the fun with none of the responsibilities or weighty expectations. That can be a curse as much as a gift. The spare often struggles with a lack of purpose. Princess Margaret, the younger sibling of Queen Elizabeth, is often pointed to as an example of a royal without a mission; one who suffered because of it. Parties, drinking and a propensity to take lovers were ways the late princess chose to offset the boredom. But history shows that the spare is not always, well, spared of the responsibility that comes with being in line to the throne.
The understudy sometimes has to step onto the stage and assume the title role. Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, George V, and her father, George VI, were spares who became king. In 1910, George V ascended the throne when his elder brother died at 28. And in more recent memory, Edward VIII famously abdicated in 1936 to marry American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. His younger brother, George VI, who was shy and had a stutter, became king shortly before the country entered the Second World War.
- Sarah Hampson