The royal baby’s birth was a historic event, just because it happened, it gave a new heir to the British throne, but even before Prince George was born he was changing the way royals did things.
This lists some of the firsts that came with Prince George Alexander Louis.
Heir No Matter What The Gender
It used to be that only males could become rulers of the British Kingdom, but earlier this year, while Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant Queen Elizabeth changed the long standing rule. Much bloodshed and misery has come in British history because women couldn’t give birth to a male heir. This is not the case anymore. If Prince George would have been a girl, she would have been Queen.
Three Living Heirs
With the birth of the royal baby, we have three living heirs to the throne. This is the first time this has happened since 1894. George is third in line after his father Prince William and grandfather Prince Charles. This is due to the longevity of Queen Elizabeth who is 87-years-old and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.
Queen Elizabeth Meets Her Great-Grandson
The previous milestone brings us to this one. This is the first time since Queen Victoria was alive in the 1800s, that a sitting Queen gets to meet her great-grandson. Again, a testament to the Queen’s health, which has allowed her to see the happy event.
First Royal Birth Announced On Twitter
The tweet read ’round the world. For the first time in British monarchy history a royal birth was announced with a tweet. Even though the traditional announcement, with the written proclamation being driven by car to Buckingham Palace and displayed in an easel by the front gate, still happened. A special tweet let the world know that Prince George was born. This is in part thanks to William and Kate’s more modern approach to royalty.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) July 22, 2013
Royal Baby’s Weight
Prince George took his sweet time making an appearance and during that extra time in his mother’s womb, he grew, a lot. Royal historians say that at 8 pounds 6 ounces at birth, he is the heaviest royal born in 100 years. Hopefully his mother didn’t suffer too much during labor.
Prince William Spent The Night At The Hospital
For the first time in royal history the father to the heir (and heir himself), stayed with the mother and child at the hospital overnight. Even though William is not the first to be present for the birth (his father did the same when he was born), the Duke of Cambridge showed the world that his first priority is his wife Kate and now their child George.
First Royal Father To Take Paternity Leave
This is also a testament to how “normal” this royal couple is and may be due to the fact that not many heirs have had a job outside of being an heir. Prince William is the first royal father to take paternity leave from a real job. He is a search and rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force (RAF), which is in it of itself a milestone.
Prince George Will Have A ‘Normal’ Upbringing
This will be the most “normal” royal in history. Thanks to his grounded parents Prince George will enjoy the gift of as much of a normal life as they can give him. The couple doesn’t plan to hire a full-time nanny, which is how previous royals have been raised. Kate Middleton’s family is very involved in the couple’s life and there is no reason to believe they won’t have great influence in the little Prince’s upbringing.
William Gave Him A Lift Home
The picture of Prince William going back to the hospital an re-appearing with the baby safely strapped in the car seat is a first too. In the past all that has been handled by Palace staff members. But Prince William not only brought the baby out in his car seat, he secured it in the back seat himself and he looked like a natural. Then he drove his family home.
A Leader For The 22nd Century
Longevity is a trademark of the Windsors. Queen Elizabeth is 87 and her mother, the Queen Mother lived until she was 102. If Prince George follows suit, he could bring the British monarchy into the 22nd century as the first King of the new millennium. So far, so good, reports are that he is growing and healthy.
These are some interesting facts surrounding the much publicized birth of the royal baby, Prince of Cambridge. Long live the King, cheers.
[Images via DukeandDuchessofCambridge.org ]