The Daily Telegraph

Hurrah for the new prince and his scenesteal­ing sister

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There may have been a few Republican curmudgeon­s muttering about “privileged DNA”. One enterprisi­ng Momentum Marxist even tried to suggest that the royal birth was a cunning ploy to distract from the Government’s difficulti­es over Windrush. (I know Kate’s practicall­y perfect, but even she can’t induce labour purely to, well, do down Labour.)

Otherwise, it was joy and delight all round when Baby Cambridge Number 3 was shown off by his parents on the steps of the Lindo Wing.

When I had my first baby, 22 years ago, I got a card from a friend in her 60s. “I seem to recall,” she wrote, “the tenderest of feelings.”

That’s it exactly. Feelings of such aching tenderness (and not just on the perineum), an elation that comes from simply gazing at your baby’s face, drinking in the wonder that someone you’ve never met is perfectly yours, and you can’t imagine it any other way. This is the universal miracle, whether you are a commoner on a council estate or a duchess in a palace. Love, the fiercest you will ever know, comes as a free gift with the new arrival.

I thought Kate was particular­ly confident with her son. This one is hers. George is the heir. Charlotte, who could have ended up as piglet in the middle, keeps her special status by being the only girl.

And, on Monday, the little princess stole the show. Not only did she wave at the crowd as she walked beside Daddy, while bashful George kept his head down, she actually turned on the hospital steps for an encore. What a pro! Hard to believe she is only two.

It felt wholly appropriat­e that, in this new generation, the daughter remains fourth in line after her grandfathe­r, father and big brother. A change to the Act of Succession in 2013 gave equal rights to male and female newborns, meaning little princes can no longer bump their princess sisters down the pecking order. The reform was long overdue, especially when you consider that Charlotte’s great-aunt, Princess Anne, was displaced by her two little brothers, Andrew and Edward. Wouldn’t you just love to know the Princess Royal’s view on that demotion?

It’s been announced that the Duchess will take more time off to bond with this baby, having rushed back to royal duties after the first two. The Duke is taking two weeks off to support his wife and newly enlarged family. No one is calling it paternity leave, but that’s what it is.

I used to think Kate was setting the bar too high, looking bandbox-fresh after pushing a baby into the world. Now I appreciate she’s doing her best to model herself on the Queen, who never puts a foot wrong. Witness Meghan Markle at the Stephen Lawrence memorial service wearing a sleeveless dress (no, honey, no!) and you can appreciate what a class act Kate is.

The Rev Sam Wells, vicar of St Martin-in-thefields, summed it up beautifull­y on Twitter: “Welcome to William and Catherine’s baby boy. You’ve already made your best choice – two fabulous parents.”

Hear, hear!

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