As you know, on April 23 Kate Middleton gave birth to a third child, a charming little son, whose name remains secret. It is interesting that the British monarchs have their own traditions about where to give birth to children, what names to give them, and why a witness must be in the delivery room. About this and not just talk right now.
1. Home delivery
Elizabeth II was born in 1926 in the house of her grandfather in Bruton Street, in Mayfair. The Queen decided to preserve this tradition and gave birth to her children, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward at Buckingham Palace. And Princess Ann was born in Clarence House, where Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall now dwell.
Also the sister of the ruling queen, Princess Margaret, gave birth to her daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, and David's son at Kensington Palace. But, as you know, Kate Middleton gave life to her babies not in the royal chambers, but in the hospital. The birth trend outside the monarch walls began after Princess Anne gave birth to her children at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. And in the maternity ward of Lindo Wing, that under St. Mary, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and the newborn son Ket Middleton were born.
2. Witness in the delivery room
In 1688, when James Francis Edward, the son of James II, appeared in the delivery room, a witness was present. Initially, the British nobility doubted whether the king's wife was pregnant, and therefore at the time of birth, a special person was observed to oversee everything, which was to eliminate the substitution.
The birth of the now ruling queen was watched by the Minister of the Interior, but later Elizabeth II ended this tradition. As a result, Prince Charles in 1948 was born in a more intimate atmosphere.
3. Fathers are forbidden to enter the delivery room
Yes, we know that Prince William was present at the birth of his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge. But, for example, when Elizabeth II gave life to Prince Charles, her husband, Prince Philip could not attend the birth. For all 30 hours while his wife gave birth, he swam in the local pool and played squash. Now things are different, and this tradition has remained in the past. And the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge violated her.
4. Royal children were not breast-fed
Queen Victoria hated being pregnant and refused to breast-feed her nine children. Moreover, she believed that this is a repulsive occupation that destroys everything intelligent in young ladies and gentlemen. Now everything is optional.
5. The mystery about the sex of the child
Up to the day of birth, the sex of the future heir and the approximate date of his birth remain in secret. In society, there is an opinion that the pregnant duchess color range of their outfits makes it clear who she will be born. So, this tradition still works and we did not know in advance the gender of all three children Kate Middleton and Prince William.
6. The Queen is the first to know about birth
Of course, Her Majesty is the first person to be informed that the royal family is replenished. When Prince George was born, Prince William called his grandmother on a special phone that encrypted calls to inform the happy news. And then Kate's parents in Bucklebury, Sister Pippa and brother James, William's father, Prince Charles, and brother, Prince Harry, were notified. And the whole world only learned in the evening that Prince George was born to his spouses. It is interesting that the name of the new heir is not yet known. The British are betting on the name of the baby. Leading position takes the name of Arthur.
7. Royal children have three or four names
And often these are traditional British names, which have already been called monarchs. For example, a vivid example is George and Charlotte. So, the average name of Prince George is Alexander and Louis, Prince William - Arthur, Philip and Louis. Queen Elizabeth II approves the names of those children who are closest in line to the throne.
8. The proclamation of royal children is announced by the herald
This post is already several hundred years old. The herald, the messenger or the ceremonial master, now occupied by Tony Appleton, informs the public that the monarch's family is replenished. It was he who previously announced the birth of Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
9. Gold-plated easel
And if now the media, social networks in a matter of minutes will tell the whole world all the most important news, earlier it was not possible. That is why it was customary to display a gilded easel on the square of Buckingham Palace, on which a document adorning the sex and the birth time of the baby was framed in the frame.
10. Salute from the cannon
Without it, nowhere. All the British rejoice on the occasion that the monarchs were born an heir. In honor of him near the Tower Bridge from the old historical guns, 62 volleys are to be issued (the duration of the action is about 10 minutes), and near the Buckingham Palace there are 41 volleys.
11. Baptism of a child soon after birth
The child is usually baptized 2-3 months after his birth. The Queen was baptized when she was only a month old, Prince William - at two months old, Prince Harry - in a three-month period. And Prince George was baptized when he was a 3 month old baby. Princess Charlotte - in a 2-month.
12. The christening order
Both boys and girls are dressed in a traditional white dress made of lace and satin. It is a copy of the baptismal attire of the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria (1841).
13. Official photo after christening
After the rite of baptism, the royal photographer takes a few pictures, which later will go down in history. So, Mario Testino was honored to photograph Princess Charlotte, and photographer Jason Bell - Prince George.
14. A child has five or seven godparents
And, if most of us, three, four, or even one, godfather, then in the royal family, everything is different. For example, Prince George, who is in the queue for the throne, has 7 godparents: Oliver Baker, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Earl Grosvenor, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Julia Samuel, William Van Kutzem and Zara Tyndall. By the way, Zara is the cousin of Prince William, and Julia was a close friend of Princess Diana. At the same time, the little princesses of Charlotte have five godparents: Thomas van Stroubenzi, James Mead, Sophie Carter, Laura Fellows and Adam Middleton. Laura is the cousin of Prince William, and Adam is Cate's cousin.
15. Royal children are engaged with teachers in the walls of the royal palace
Together with her sister, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II was at home school. And in 1955, Prince Charles was the first to decide to go to a regular school. His sons, William and Harry also went to a private school before entering the prestigious Eton College. Meanwhile, Prince George in 2017 went to public school.