Prince George gets royal treatment from registrar
THE BIRTH of Prince George was formally registered yesterday, just like anyone else’s, except that his parents gave as their occupations Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom and their usual address as a palace.
The boy’s birth was registered by the Duke of Cambridge at Kensington Palace yesterday ( Friday), while the duchess remained at her parents’ home in Bucklebury. George was born on July 22 at St Mary’s Hospital in London. His name was announced two days after his birth.
It is one of the lesser-sung luxuries of royal life that, while most new parents have to travel to a register office to formally register the birth of their child, if you are royalty the authorities will come to you.
As Westminster City Council put it, if William had had to go to the register office in Marylebone Rd, it would have caused ‘‘ a bit of a furore’’. In this case, it was the registrar, Alison Cathcart, who travelled to Kensington Palace for William to carry out the task.
A brief statement from the Palace said: ‘‘The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have formally registered the birth of Prince George. The Duke of Cambridge signed the birth register at Kensington Palace this morning, witnessed by a registrar from Westminster Register Office.’’
The register entry from which the birth certificate is produced was filled in by the registrar and signed by William. It gives the date and place of George’s birth and his full name as His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
William’s full name, His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge, is also given, along with his place of birth in Paddington, Westminster – he was born at the same hospital. His occupation is listed as Prince of the United Kingdom.
His wife’s full name is given as Catherine Elizabeth Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, with her occupation described as Princess of the United Kingdom. This may come as a surprise to some, as she is always referred to as the Duchess of Cam- bridge, and almost never as a princess. Strictly speaking, however, she is a princess – Princess William of Wales, which explains why the title is rarely used.
Her place of birth is listed as Reading and her maiden name of Middleton is also included on the document. The couple’s usual address is given as Kensington Palace, London W8 4PU.
Cathcart, who has been Westminster City Council’s superintendent registrar for 22 years, has presided over several celebrity marriages including those of Sylvester Stallone, Joan Collins, Barbara Windsor and David Walliams.
She said: ‘‘ This cements an association with Westminster City Council and royal births in the borough that goes back decades. We registered the birth of the Queen and Prince Charles and Princes William and Harry so it’s great to see that tradition continue.’’