Standrews welcomes royal couple’s new arrival

ST ANDREWS residents have expressed delight at the arrival of the new royal baby.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met in the town when they were students and returned to Fife on an official visit in 2011, two months before their wedding.

Keith Griffiths, 68, said the birth was “excellent news” for the country.

He said: “It’s marvellous. Any birth is to be applauded and celebrated, but the birth of a royal baby is something extra special.

“The most important thing is that everything went smoothly and she had a relatively straightforward birth.

“The reality is that now the fun begins for them, bringing up the baby.”

He said St Andrews has “definitely played its part” in the royal couple’s story.

“It allowed both of them the space and freedom to be students, to be themselves,” he said.

“Considering their lives subsequently, under a microscope, that must have helped.

“I’m not sure that the people of St Andrews will feel any differently from people elsewhere in Scotland but it’s special because both the mother and father have connections to St Andrews.”

Student Lynsey Anderson, 20, said the arrival of the royal baby would lift everyone’s spirits.

“We had the Olympics and the jubilee so it’s going to keep everyone happy.

“I can’t wait to hear what they’re going to call it.”

Ms Anderson, who studies in Glasgow but lives near St Andrews and works at a cafe in the town, said she and her friends had been discussing possible names for the newborn boy.

She said: “We had a lot of tourists in the cafe yesterday, saying ‘we can’t wait’.

“I think everyone just feels it a bit more closely because of their links with St Andrews.

“It does feel like a baby made in St Andrews.”

A spokeswoman for StAndrews University said: “We offer the couple our warmest congratulations.

“The St Andrews alumni family is steadily growing and we are always pleased to welcome new additions.”