The
wait for the royal baby and the future monarch ended on Monday 22 July after a
day of sweltering speculation when it was announced that the Duchess of
Cambridge had given birth to a boy.
The
baby, the third in line to the throne and the first Prince of Cambridge in 190
years, was born at 4.24pm weighing 8lbs 6oz with his father present at the
private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, west London.
The
announcement by Kensington Palace shortly after 8pm ended a day of increasingly
febrile media reporting after it emerged that the Duchess had gone into
hospital at 6am - avoiding the massed ranks of cameras via a side entrance -
while in the early stages of labour.
News
of the birth was posted in accordance with tradition by a royal footman on an
ornate “Roccoco revival-style” easel inside the railings of Buckingham Palace
as a crowd gathered outside celebrated. It was also confirmed that Kate, 31,
and her son were “doing well” and will remain in hospital overnight.
In
an unusually forthright statement, Prince Charles announced that he was
relishing the prospect of grandfatherhood, announcing that he and Camilla were
“overjoyed.”
The
heir to the throne said: “Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone’s life,
as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously
proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first and we are eagerly looking
foward to seeing the baby in the near future.”
Prime
Minister David Cameron, taking to Twitter along with Labour leader Ed
Milliband, said the Duke and Duchess will
make “wonderful parents,” adding: “The whole country will celebrate.” Mr
Milliband said: “I wish them and their son all happiness and good health.”
While
the arrival of a boy postpones for another generation the dilemma of resolving
outstanding sexist constitutional wrinkles that a daughter to William and Kate
might have created, the public is likely to have to wait longer to know their
future ruler’s name.
In
a move which will doubtless delight bookies, some of whom immediately elevated
“James” as favourite for the royal moniker, it could be at least a day before
the name chosen by the couple is revealed. In the case of the royal baby’s
paternal grandfather, it was not announced until almost a month after his birth
that he had been called Charles.
The
birth after a labour of less than 12 hours brought relief not only to the
nation but also the serried rows of television news anchors gathered on the
pavement outside the Lindo Wing who suddenly found themselves have to provide
rolling news coverage on what one BBC correspondent admitted was “no news.”
The
6am arrival of Kate and William at a side entrance to the hospital brought with
it a terse 45-word statement the 31-year-old duchess was in the early stages of
labour and “things are progressing as normal.”
But
the arrival of the couple in a convoy of Range Rovers and BMWs was sufficient
to bring the buzz of speculation about the royal birth over the airwaves and
the internet for the past week to a fresh crescendo as hundreds of
broadcasters, photographers and assorted royal hangers-on jostled for position
outside the £6,000-a-night unit.
Under
the blistering heat of the hottest July day since 2006, representatives of 150
television stations (along with some 300 photographers) repeated in mantra-like
fashion the most likely names for the royal baby and the expert view that most
labours last 12 hours.
The
royal baby is one of around 2,000 children born every day in the UK. Yet whilst
the third in line to the throne can expect a life unimaginable to its cohort of
subjects with whom it will share a birthday, all babies can anticipate a longer
span than their parents before them.
Weight
for me soon. Paul
Paul Lambis is the author of “Where is Home?” – A journey of hilarious contrasts.
For more information on Paul Lambis, and to order his book online,
visit www.paul-lambis.com
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