Duchess Kate Middleton Royal Baby Countdown: Pregnancy And Parenting ‘Game-Changer’ Plans [Video]
Duchess Kate Middleton is on royal baby countdown, but the pregnant princess definitely isn’t waiting alone. In addition to husband Prince William and mom Carole Middleton, Duchess Kate has become the subject of scrutiny, with almost hourly reports falsely announcing that she’s already in labor. What is known, however, is that Princess Kate has carefully developed her birth plan, reported the Daily Beast.
Why the detailed program for the second baby? Because the Palace got slammed for poor press management before and during the birth of Prince George. Hoards of journalists pushed against the baby watchers, all eager to be the first to hear the official word and see Prince William or another member of the royal family.
As a result, the 2015 Royal Baby Watch Plan involves instructing Duchess Kate to make a call when she first experiences labor pains. That plan is simplified by Kate’s candor about the baby’s due date, as opposed to last time when she wouldn’t even tell palace officials when she was expecting.
Because Prince William plans to continue working, he’ll face a commute to the hospital while the Duchess of Cambridge (aka his wife) just zips on over from nearby Kensington Palace. But depending on the hour of the day or night when the baby is born, it could be as long as 12 hours before it’s confirmed. As to why? Meet royal protocol.
Duchess Kate’s second baby will precede Prince Harry in terms of ascending to the throne. Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince George rank before Prince George’s new sibling.
But because Prince Harry is still considered a member of the senior royal family and must be informed before the world about the baby’s birth, no one would consider awakening him in Australia for the news. Therefore, they will wait until he’s had his coffee and inform him before the Palace heads to social media to make the formal “she/he is here!” announcement.
In addition to social media, the Palace will display an announcement outside Buckingham Palace, which will be placed by a footman. It is not yet known whether Prince George will toddle to his mummy’s bedside to view his new sibling.
After the baby is born, it’s off to Kensington Palace for a breather, followed by a longer stay in their Norfolk country mansion.
As the Inquisitr reported, Duchess Kate’s due date ranges between April 15 and April 30. Kate will stay in St. Mary’s Hospital’s Lindo Wing, where she will receive a 10 percent discount for her second stay there. While an overnight stay with delivery costs built-in cost $9,852 if Duchess Kate stays in a two-room suite, her 10 percent loyalty discount means she’ll shell out a mere $8,867.
It’s not just the birth plan that’s different this time around. Prince William also is changing his parenting plan, reported People.
Terming his second child a “game-changer,” William wants to keep Carole and Michael Middleton more involved this time while continuing his new job as an East Anglia Air Ambulance helicopter pilot near their home.
“The Middletons are very important to him,” revealed Penny Junor, author of Prince William: Born to Be King. “What he loves about Kate is the normality that goes with her. The Middleton home has been a haven for him. He can step out of being royal and be normal, and they are just a very happy, normal family. That’s what he craves.”
[Photo by Shannon Stapleton – Pool/Getty Images]
