It’s a princess! Britain welcomes birth of the newest member of Windsor line
LONDON — Britain welcomed its newest princess on Saturday with famous landmarks like Tower Bridge and the Trafalgar Square fountains glowing pink in celebration of a newborn girl who is fourth in line to the throne.
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to an 8-pound, 3ounce baby girl at 8.34 a.m. Saturday. Less than 10 hours later, she appeared on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London — her husband, Prince William, by her side — holding her infant daughter, who was fast asleep and wrapped in a white blanket.
The duke and duchess waved to the banks of photographers and well-wishers, but unlike with the birth of Prince George, their first child, they didn’t stop to talk to the media. Soon after, they checked out of the hospital and returned to Kensington Palace, their home in London.
The baby — the fifth greatgrandchild of Queen Elizabeth II —
has come just in time to help lift the national mood. The country is in the midst of a long, bitterly contested parliamentary election campaign that at times has resembled trench warfare — Britain goes to the polls on Thursday — and the news of the newest Windsor was immediately embraced as a ray of sunshine.
“It’s a girl, it’s a girl!” shouted John Loughrey, 60, a self-described “super fan,” who was jumping up and down outside the Lindo Wing when he first heard the news of the birth.
While the royal birth offered some respite for the general election coverage, politicians from all parties were offering their congratulations.
British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted that he was “absolutely delighted” for the couple.
Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, tweeted: “Wishing them lots of joy and happiness — and hopefully some sleep.”
Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K. Independence Party, suggested that his candidates take an hour off from the campaign to raise a pint in the new princess’s honor.
The 33-year-old duchess, widely known as Kate, arrived with her husband at the hospital at 6 a.m. Saturday, their car slipping past a phalanx of photographers who were keeping watch.
In a nod to the times, the palace announced details of the birth with a news release followed shortly by notices on social media. The palace also continued its tradition of posting a notice of a royal birth on a gilded easel in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace.
“We had to come and see the announcement. It was a once in a lifetime chance,” said Betsy Evans, 46, who works in marketing in Minneapolis but was on vacation in London. She was in a pub near the palace with her husband, Lonny, when they heard about the new princess and decided to come see the famous easel for themselves. The tradition of displaying birth notices at the palace dates back to 1837.
The palace said Prince William and Catherine didn’t know the sex of the baby prior to the birth, but those stepping into betting parlors across the country were convinced the baby was a girl. Prince Charles, Prince William’s father, reportedly let slip that he too hoped that his next grandchild was a girl.
On Saturday, Queen Elizabeth was photographed in northern England wearing a pink jacket and hat, and a beaming smile.
But for all the fanfare for the “spare to the heir,” the royal baby fever is a couple of degrees lower than it was for the birth of Prince George, which saw the world celebrating with Canada lighting up Niagara Falls in blue and New Zealand welcoming the arrival of the young prince with a 21-gun salute.
“We know that George is the heir, so the second-born rather skates in rather nicely. It’s an also-ran in royal life,” said Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine. “It’s not so important, because it will be the first-born that inherits the kingship, if indeed there is a kingship by then.”
Still, it was a joyous celebration for the princess. Hundreds gathered outside the Lindo Wing where accents could be heard from around the world. Earlier in the day, Prince William said he was “very happy” when he left the hospital to pick up Prince George, who will turn 2 in July. When he returned to the hospital with George, who waved to the onlookers, the crowd roared with delight.
Catherine’s medical team was led by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, an obstetrician, and Alan Farthing, the royal surgeon-gynecologist.
While the palace had not commented on Catherine’s actual due date, it was widely assumed that the baby was expected in April. The duchess had reportedly told a volunteer at a children’s center that she was due mid- to late April. That time frame was supported by the parking restriction signs outside the Lindo Wing, which originally ran from April 15 to 30. When no baby arrived in April, the Westminster City Council extended the parking restrictions until May 5.
In recent days, crowds gathered outside the Lindo Wing with some royal enthusiasts pitching up tents. Last week, the duke and duchess sent coffee and croissants to these supporters after seeing reports on television.
Prince George was born in the Lindo Wing, as was his father and his uncle, Prince Harry.
Prince William, who is training as a pilot with East Anglia Air Ambulance, is on six weeks of unpaid leave until he starts the next phase of his training on June 1.
The Cambridges are a deeply private couple, and it’s unlikely that the world will see much of them in the coming weeks. According to the palace, they plan to spend the next few days at Kensington Palace before heading to Anmer Hall, their country home that’s part of Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
But the chance for even a fleeting glimpse of the Cambridges was enough for Maureen Robertson, 61, from Portsmouth, to abandon her plans for Saturday shopping on Oxford Street in favor of waiting outside the Lindo Wing.
“I think any royal baby has a big impact on the mood. I think it brightens everyone’s lives,” she said.