Kate (39 page)

Kate was told to try to remain calm for the sake of her unborn baby. The Palace refused to comment, but privately she was said to be “badly shaken.” When William returned to work at RAF Valley, Carole and Pippa moved into the Palace until she was given the all clear by her doctors to go to Bucklebury, where she continued to make a good recovery. As this was only days before Christmas 2012, it was agreed that it would be more relaxing for Kate to remain with her family in Oak Acre. Naturally, William wanted to be with Kate, and for the first time he was excused from being at Sandringham.

After quietly celebrating her thirty-first birthday at home, Kate and William decided to join the Middletons for their annual trip to Mustique. This year, Pippa's new boyfriend, stockbroker Nico Jackson, was joining them, but the relaxing holiday was overshadowed when Kate and William were photographed walking on one of the island's beaches. Once again, the British papers agreed not to publish the images, but
Chi
, an Italian gossip magazine, splashed on its cover the images of Kate showing her small bump off in a bikini, much to the couple's wrath. They were still reeling from the topless pictures and “disappointed,” according to Palace aides, that once again their privacy had been invaded at a deeply personal time in their lives. Returning home, Kate was unwittingly at the center of a controversy involving a lecture given by the award-winning novelist Hilary Mantel, in which she appeared to criticize the duchess. The media widely reported the author's comparison of Kate to a “machine-made princess” and a “shop window mannequin” with a “plastic smile,” and though
Hilary Mantel insisted her comments had been taken out of context, Kate rose above the distorted media coverage, smiling for the cameras as she left Hope House, an all-women's shelter that she supported.

Now that she was feeling better, she was determined to fit in as many engagements as she could before retiring from public life to prepare for the birth. In March, she braved the snow to join a scout volunteer training day in Windermere in the Lake District. There was an even greater surge of goodwill toward the couple now that a baby was on the way. During a walkabout at a St. Patrick's Day parade in Aldershot in Hampshire, Guardsman Lee Wheeler asked her, “Do you know if it's a girl or boy?” to which she replied, “Not yet. I'd like to have a boy and William would like a girl. That's always the way.” When Kate, William, and the Prince of Wales opened a new outdoor center for young people at Dumfries House, Kate let slip to one staff member that the baby was due in mid-July, then adding, “Although babies have their own agenda.” The couple's press officers refused to confirm the exact date, and Kate showed no signs of slowing down.

At every engagement she attended, Kate seemed to glow. Her skin was radiant, her trademark hair was even glossier and thicker than usual, and she continued to thrill the fashion brigade by stepping out in gravity-defying designer heels. She was quizzed constantly about how she was feeling and whether she was nervous about the imminent arrival, but she didn't seem to tire of the attention. It was reported that the couple had bought a pale-blue baby carriage, and British bookmakers took bets on what the couple would call their firstborn, with Elizabeth, Alexandra, and Charlotte being the most popular
girls' names and George, James, and Alexander the favorites for a boy.

Like the royal wedding, it was a great opportunity for the memorabilia market, and manufacturers around the country were keen to cash in on the eagerly anticipated arrival. In true British style, there was a surge of royal-themed baby goods, from HRH embossed sleepsuits to crown-crested potties. Even the gift shops at the royal palaces stocked up on baby-themed memorabilia.

Meanwhile, Kate had not one but three nurseries to furnish. As well as Kensington Palace, where the nursery occupies most of the top floor, the couple had a designated baby room at Michael and Carole's house and at their new Norfolk home. They were still not sure whether they would be remaining in Anglesey long term, but provisions were made in their Welsh home for the baby. Intriguingly, there were reports in the British newspapers that Kate planned to move back home with her parents once William's two-week paternity leave was up. This was met with a degree of surprise by courtiers at the Palace, who had expected Kate and the newborn heir, as was traditional, to stay in royal residence. Although Diana had pushed the boundaries of royal protocol when William was born by opting to give birth in a hospital rather than a palace, this was a first. Kate had also decided against hiring a nanny and a maternity nurse, instead choosing to have her mother on hand to help her in the early weeks of motherhood. She told friends she hoped to have a natural birth, and she started to get familiar with breathing techniques to assist her in labor. Like her own mother, she planned to breastfeed. When she was photographed shopping for baby clothes and a Moses
basket in Kensington with Carole, it was evident just how closely involved with the baby preparations Carole was. There was even some speculation in the tabloid press that Kate wanted her mother in the delivery room.

William was open to the idea of Kate moving back home after the birth, even if it did pose something of a problem for the protection officers and courtiers who were said to be concerned about the plan. The idea had its advantages, as the couple had been told that their apartment in Kensington Palace would not be ready in time for the birth because the discovery of asbestos had delayed the renovation schedule. They were still living at Nottingham Cottage with its two small bedrooms, so the more spacious prospect of her family home was appealing.

The couple had decided that the baby would be born at the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital, a National Health facility where the royal family's gynecologist Alan Farthing is based and where both William and Harry were born. Such was the importance of the impending birth that Marcus Setchell, the Queen's surgeon gynecologist, postponed his retirement so that he could help deliver the baby. Once Kate had carried out her final engagement—the Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace on June 15—it was time for her to bow out of the limelight and figure out her birth plan. On the advice of friends, she consulted London-based antenatal expert Christine Hill. Rather than go to a session attended by other expectant mothers, Kate booked two private appointments so that she and William would have some idea of what to expect. Together they mastered breathing techniques that help with pain management during labor, and Christine Hill, who described Kate as a “delightful girl,” advised her to relax as much as possible.

It was a hot summer and Kate retreated to her new family home as often as she could, grateful for the use of the swimming pool. Although she joked that excitement over Andy Murray's sensational win at Wimbledon might bring on an early labor, she pretty much took things easy as instructed. While her family joined the royals for the Coronation Festival to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Queen's anniversary at Buckingham Palace in July, Kate stayed at home and put her feet up.

It had been reported in the British press that Kate was due to give birth on July 13, so since the end of June, the media had been assembling outside the Lindo Wing. Photographers equipped with extra-long ladders secured their positions with black duct tape, even paying members of the public to keep their place overnight. Broadcasters from around the world followed suit, and within days the entire pavement was crammed with journalists and reporters, all anxious to be the first to report the news of the birth. It was one of the hottest summers in England on record, and as the mercury soared into the high nineties, the ongoing story known as the “Great Kate Wait” in the media dominated the news headlines. The merest hint of activity fueled a frenzy that Kate had gone into labor. When a helicopter landed at Kensington Palace or a police car swept through Bucklebury, the cameras were ready to roll, and news desks around the world were on red alert. False rumors that the duchess had gone into labor sent the Twitter-sphere into a meltdown on more than one occasion. The couple, however, stayed remarkably calm, and while Kate spent the weekend of her reported due date with her family in Bucklebury, William, who was still working shifts at RAF Valley, played a charity polo
match at Cirencester in Gloucestershire, a helicopter on standby just in case.

By the following weekend, there was still no announcement from the Palace. It wasn't just the hot and flustered media throng that was growing impatient. Charles and Camilla continued their engagements around the country and admitted to wellwishers that they were “waiting for the telephone to ring,” while the Queen told one little girl during a walkabout at Lake Windermere in Cumbria that she hoped the royal baby would “hurry up” because she was planning to go to Balmoral for her annual vacation.

It was in the early hours of Monday, July 22, that Kate finally went into labor and the couple was driven into the hospital through one of the back entrances, cleverly giving the assembled press pack camped at the front of the hospital the slip. At 7:30
A.M
., the Palace Press Office issued a statement confirming that Kate was “in the early stages of labor” and that things were “progressing normally,” news that was broken to the world via the rolling news networks and broadcast on every radio station. The “Great Kate Wait” was nearly over.

T
HE
L
ITTLE
P
RINCE

His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge entered the world at 4:24
P.M
. on Monday, July 22, weighing an impressive eight pounds, six ounces. With a wisp of dark hair and a perfectly proportioned little nose, he sported a “good set of lungs,” according to his proud father. Kate had endured a nine-hour labor on the hottest day of the year, and William had been at her side throughout.

Not only was she faced with the overwhelming prospect of giving birth for the first time, but Kate was also carrying the weight of expectation of an enthralled nation and a worldwide audience of millions tuned in via television and radio. Outside the hospital and at Buckingham Palace huge crowds gathered, together with representatives from the world's media. This was, after all, the birth of a future sovereign—and the first Prince of Cambridge—in nearly two hundred years. Waiting for the arrival of a new heir to the throne is a royal tradition. When the Queen was born in 1926, thousands congregated outside 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, eager for a glimpse of the new princess, and similarly, the crowds amassed in thousands when the Prince of Wales was born in 1948, the birth made public by a live announcement on the BBC.

Finally, after endless speculation and a wait that had become a global phenomenon, Kate was rewarded with the son she had longed for, a beautiful baby boy who shared the same Cancer astrological sign as his father and Diana, the grandmother he would never meet. Tucked away in a private suite on the third floor of the hospital, it must have been a deeply emotional and special time for the couple as they held their baby for the first time. Not wanting the moment to pass too quickly, they decided to keep the arrival a secret for several hours, telling only their immediate family members. Protocol dictated that William call his grandmother on a specially encrypted phone upon the birth. Then there were calls to Kate's parents in Bucklebury, her sister and brother, Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince Harry, all of whom were relieved and elated in equal measure.

A minute before Big Ben struck 8:30
P.M
. and dusk fell upon London, the couple gave their aides permission to issue
a statement via e-mail and Twitter, announcing the birth. It was a last-minute change of plan. Traditionally, the notice of birth—a bulletin bearing the news of the baby's sex, weight, and time of birth and signed by the royal medical team—is taken from the hospital to Buckingham Palace, where it is posted on an easel in the forecourt. But not for the first time, William and Kate decided they wanted to do things differently and that it would be “simpler and easier” to announce the news via email and social media. The Clarence House tweet read: “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4:24
P.M
.” The news sent Twitter into overdrive as 487 million people tweeted messages of congratulations.

The global media organizations broadcast the announcement simultaneously. When they did, an echo of cheers around the city could be heard from St. Mary's in Paddington to Buckingham Palace, where thousands had gathered to see the notice of birth. This document had by now been dispatched by an aide and driven to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen, having returned from Windsor Castle, was now in residence. The bulletin, posted at 8:48
P.M
., read, “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4:24
P.M
. today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.”

“It's a boy!” the crowds cheered loudly as they jumped into the fountains beneath the Queen Victoria Memorial. The Mall had finally cooled down after the blistering heat of the day. Many people remained in situ for hours, singing and celebrating and soaking up the atmosphere long after the lights at the Palace had gone out. Down the road, the fountains at Trafalgar Square were illuminated with blue lights to herald the arrival of the baby prince, along with Tower Bridge, while
the lights of the BT Telecom Tower, one of the tallest landmarks in the city, lit up to beam the news “It's a boy” to the capital. William and Kate issued a simple statement, saying, “We could not be happier,” and the Queen exclaimed that she and Prince Philip, who was at Sandringham recovering from abdominal surgery, were “delighted.” The Prince of Wales issued a statement that he was “enormously proud and happy” to become a grandfather for the first time. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, David Cameron said, “It is wonderful news. I am sure that right across the country and right across the Commonwealth, people will be celebrating.” They were. Indeed, messages flooded in from around the world, President Obama wishing the couple much happiness: “Michelle and I are so pleased to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the joyous occasion of the birth of their first child.” In Canada, the Governor General tweeted, “Wonderful news,” while in Australia and New Zealand, they were waking up to the happy news.