Five things to know about baby traditions in Britain

LONDON — Prince William and Kate are seen as the new face of a centuries-old institution, keeping the best of traditions while moving forward with the times. Here are five things to know about royal births:

HOME BIRTHING

Most people take a hospital birth for granted these days, but just a few decades ago the custom among royals — as it was among commoners — was to give birth at home. That changed by the 1980s, when Princes William and Harry were both born at the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s hospital in London.

DADS IN THE DELIVERY ROOM

William said he would be there with Kate when she gave birth and he delivered on that promise. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Charles, who declared how much he relished being in the delivery room in a letter to his godmother, Patricia Brabourne.

OFFICIAL INTRUDERS

In the early 1900s — and probably before — custom dictated that government officials should be present when a royal was born. The current home secretary, Theresa May, said the centuries-old tradition required the official to attend “as evidence that it was really a royal birth and the baby hadn’t been smuggled in.” The practice was abolished years ago.

HOW MANY NAMES? Now that the baby’s gender is known, the biggest guessing game surrounding the royal birth is the name.

Most royals have three to four first names. The bookmakers had the shortest odds on George or James for a boy.

MODERN MESSAGING

The traditional way the palace announces a royal baby’s birth is as quaint as it gets: A messenger with the news travels by car from the hospital to Buckingham Palace, carrying a piece of paper detailing the infant’s gender, weight and time of birth. The bulletin is then posted on a wooden easel for everyone to see.

In the old days the announcement was made to the wider public on radio, but these days that has been replaced by the Internet and social media.