Family & Pets
10 royal baby traditions that will surprise you
There’s always a bit of a buzz in the air when a friend or family member is expecting, but when it comes to the royal family, “a bit of buzz” is, well… a bit of an understatement. We all have our own special traditions when a new bundle of joy arrives, but we’ve got nothing on the Windsors!
Here are 10 royal baby traditions we never knew existed.
- At-home births – Historically speaking, royals deliver their babies in the comfort of their own home. All of the Queen’s children were born at either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House. It wasn’t until her children had babies that the births began to take place in hospital.
- No dads allowed – Up until the birth of Prince Charles, no men were allowed in the room during the delivery.
- No commoners – Previously, if the spouse of the royal family member was a commoner, their parents (the baby’s grandparents) would often be disregarded. Of course, nowadays this has changed.
- Birth announcement – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge broke custom when they announced Prince George’s arrival via email and Twitter before the traditional easel bearing the announcement was placed in front of Buckingham Palace.
- Gun salutes – When a royal baby arrives, they arrive with a bang – literally. Upon their birth, there’s a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London. Oh, and a 41-gun salute from Green Park, too.
- Many names – We commoners usually have just one middle name (if we have one at all) but royal babies are typically given three to four first names, e.g. Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Prince William Arthur Philip Louis.
- No surname – For centuries, royal babies were never given a last name, but were rather known by the country they ruled. This was tradition until King George V decreed in 1917 that the family’s surname would be Windsor. Today, it’s Mountbatten-Windsor.
- Queen knows first – Royal baby protocol dictates that as soon as the bub is born, the Queen must be told immediately via an encrypted phone call.
- Pregnancy announcement – Usually, announcements are made after the 12th week of pregnancy. Kate’s third baby broke the trend after she was forced to cancel an official appearance, revealing the reason early.
- Lots of godparents – Royal babies typically have around six godparents, and family members are unable to be chosen. Prince George has seven and Princess Charlotte has five.
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