Kate (40 page)

Authors: Katie Nicholl

BOOK: Kate

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Dr. Setchell, who had emerged from the hospital after the birth to tell the waiting media the baby was “beautiful,” had advised Kate to stay in the hospital overnight. William ordered takeout pizzas and slept at his wife's side, next to their son. They had not yet decided what to call their firstborn, despite having drawn up a short list of their favorite boys' and girls' names. Kate had affectionately referred to her bump as “grape” while she was pregnant, and there was a flurry of betting on the baby's name ahead of the birth.

The next morning, their first as parents, must surely have been surreal. Outside on the street, the rolling news stations were reporting every hour on the story, and at Buckingham Palace, a media village had been erected at Canada Gate on
the Mall in order to broadcast every development of the breaking story. The front pages of the morning newspapers all carried the news of the baby prince, with the tabloid newspaper the
Sun
changing its masthead for the occasion to “The Son.” A forty-one-gun salute was fired in Green Park by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery at the same time as a sixty-two-gun salute at the Tower of London.

Shortly after lunchtime, following a visit from Dr. Setchell, Carole and Michael arrived to visit their daughter and first grandchild. They waved to the crowds before hurrying up to Kate's room on the third floor. When they emerged, an hour later, they were beaming. Carole, in a pretty summer frock, approached the press pack and addressed them for the very first time. Asked how her first grandchild was, she lit up and revealed she had enjoyed a first cuddle: “Marvelous, thank you very much, absolutely wonderful.” She said the new parents were “both doing really well and we are so thrilled.”

Prince Charles and Camilla were on their way to London, having carried out engagements in the north of England, and arrived soon afterward. When Charles emerged, twenty minutes later, his smile said it all, and upon being asked about the baby, he playfully pointed his finger and told newscasters: “You'll see in a minute.”

The wait felt like hours, the hush of anticipation silencing the press corps, whose cameras were trained on the hospital's double glass-paneled doors. Behind them, William and Kate made a last-minute check to ensure that the baby heir, whom Kate had swaddled in a shawl, was settled and happy. It was 7:00
P.M
. in the evening and the as-yet-to-be-named Prince of Cambridge was about to make his first public appearance
on the very same steps where, thirty-one years, one month, and one day before, Charles and Diana had presented William to a jubilant nation.

On the pavement, packed together like sardines, the crowd stood behind police barriers. Some had camped overnight to secure their position. A handful of them had also been there to watch Charles and Diana make the same short journey all those years ago. The doors of the Lindo Wing finally swung open, and the family emerged to a riot of flashes, celebratory cheers, and calls of congratulations. As Kate negotiated her way down the stone steps in her wedge sandals, not once taking her eyes off her precious baby, it was impossible not to think of the woman in whose footsteps she was following. On her left hand she wore Diana's engagement ring, its sapphire and diamonds sparkling in the early evening light, and she had chosen a baby-blue-and-white polka dot dress similar to the patterned dress Diana had worn when she left the very same hospital with William. Possibly it was her way of paying a personal tribute to Diana, who would have been thrilled to be a grandmother. With a winning smile and her wide, warm eyes, she absorbed the incredible spectacle before her. As if on cue, baby Cambridge stretched his tiny fingers in front of his crumpled face as though he were giving the world a wave.

Then it was William's turn, and taking great care, he leaned into his wife, his arms held out in front of him to receive the swaddled baby. He looked down at his son with a look of joy and disbelief. Camera phones were held high in the air to capture the amazing scene, while TV reporters paused for breath to enjoy the moment. They had been allowed to ask a few questions of the couple, and when asked how she was feeling, Kate looked close to tears of joy: “It's very emotional and
such a special time. I think any parent will probably know what this feeling feels like.” She added proudly that William had “done the first nappy already,” and when asked what they planned to call the baby prince, William revealed, “We're still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can.” After observing, “He's a big boy, he's quite heavy,” he joked that the baby had his wife's looks, “Thankfully, and way more hair than me.” After the brief press conference, it was time to head home, and, addressing his wife as “Poppet,” William accompanied Kate back into the hospital. When they reemerged, William, with shirt sleeves rolled up, was carrying his son in a baby seat, which he expertly clipped into the waiting Range Rover, while Kate sat in the back next to the baby, stroking his little fingers. Once again, the shutters of hundreds of cameras clattered noisily, filling the evening sky with lightning-like flashes as William broke with tradition, just as he had on his wedding day, and climbed into the driver's seat. As he took the wheel and glanced in the rearview mirror at his wife, he smiled. This was what it was all about, the three of them and the wonderful future that lay ahead of them. As they swept through the wrought-iron gates to Kensington Palace, this was just the beginning.

Epilogue

T
HE BIRTH OF
Prince George of Cambridge, now the third in line to the throne, heralds a new future for the monarchy. Together, William and Kate have secured the lineage of succession, a fourth living generation of the House of Windsor. They are also writing the future history of the monarchy. Kate has proved to be a priceless ambassador for the royal family, and now she has fulfilled the ultimate role by producing an heir. Not since the births of Princes William and Harry has there been such strong interest in the arrival of a royal baby, and though, in the end, their first child wasn't the little girl to rewrite royal history, the arrival of the baby prince destined to become King George VII is a historic occasion.

As they make the seismic transition to parenthood, William and Kate face the same steep learning curve of any new mother and father. In addition, however, they have a greater challengeâhow to raise their baby as “ordinary” within the goldfish bowl of royalty. There are, of course, dangers of becoming too “normal” and informal, the risk of tarnishing the tradition of this unique institution, but one imagines that
under the Queen's tutelage and the guidance of William's enlightened father, the couple will strike the right balance.

The greatest obstacle to the Cambridge family is undoubtedly the thorny issue of privacy, for there is an unprecedented interest in Kate and Williamâand now Prince Georgeâwhich will only magnify as the years pass. Just as William's life has been chronicled, so too will his son's. There will be a fascination in everythingâhis first tooth and first steps, his early years in the nursery, his first day at school, and far beyond. Living at Kensington Palace in London, the family is likely to have a more public life than the relatively quiet life William and Kate led pre-baby in Anglesey. The couple is fiercely protective of their private lives but Prince George has been born into a digital age where smart phones are ubiquitous and daily life is charted on social networking sites. Fortunately, both William and Kate are sufficiently media savvy and no doubt have been looking to secure an agreement with the British media that grants restricted access to their lives and their son in return for peace and privacy the rest of the time.

As they showed on their wedding day, William and Kate have their own way of doing things, and this will pave the way for the future. Once they are in residence in Apartment 1a in Kensington Palace, the wheels of change will be set in motion. The couple's team of courtiers and press aides has already relocated to Kensington Palace, where a new court has been established. Prince Harry will be living next door, but the couple will have to make do without their trusted private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who is retiring, marking the end of an era.

Over the years, Prince Charles has privately campaigned for a slimmed-down monarchy, and now William and Kate
are at the forefront of this new streamlined House of Windsor. The royal family signifies tradition, stability, and continuity in an age of flux and media proliferation, but it must also continue to modernize in order to survive. Its future is under scrutiny not just here in Great Britain, where Scotland will next year vote on a referendum to become independent, but within the Commonwealth. Indeed, elsewhere in the world monarchies have collapsed, perceived as costly and anachronistic. The royal family's historic right to reign is no longer a given; its existence must be justified, together with its cost to the taxpayer. It is largely because of the Queen, who has ensured the gradual evolution of the royal family, that the British monarchy is still a much-loved institution, as was evident from her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. William and Kate have the power and potential to cement the monarchy's future. They are respected the world over and have helped ensure that the royal family will continue on as one of Great Britain's most coveted assets.

With the Duke of Edinburgh's cutting back on royal duties and the Queen's recent decision to scale back her overseas travel, William and Kate will be expected to carry out more official engagements than ever before. The two-year grace period the Queen granted the couple from full-time royal duties after their wedding is over, and they must now accept a future of royal service. There is talk of an overseas trip in 2014, possibly to Australia and New Zealand, and if this happens, it seems inevitable that they will take Prince George with them, just as Diana and Charles took the nine-month-old William when they, too, visited the Southern Hemisphere as new parents in 1983.

There is, according to well-placed sources, some pressure on William to give up his career as a Search and Rescue Force
pilot, in order to fulfill his obligations to Queen and country. He now has a life-changing decision to make. So far, William has resisted the pressure, determined to forge a career independent of his birthright. But now he is a father, and there is a genuine need for him to join his own father as a shadow king alongside Queen Elizabeth II.

Although they plan to do things their way, William and Kate appreciate that they must also respect tradition. Later this year, their babyâpotentially a future head of the Church of Englandâwill be christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Unlike past royal generations, however, he will go to a local nursery rather than be educated by governesses and will go to school, like his father. Before then, there will likely be stroller walks in Kensington Park Gardens and trips to the nearby shops, which Diana so enjoyed making with her sons. Of course, there will be holidays at Balmoral in Scotland and Christmases at Sandringham, but Prince George will probably spend just as much time with his grandparents in Bucklebury as he will in royal residences. William promised Kate's parents before they were married that they would always be a part of their lives, and he has been true to his word. The Middletons have been more warmly embraced than any other in-laws.

There is little doubt that Kate has brought much-needed vibrancy and a freshness to the House of Windsor. She has charisma and the ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Prince George of Cambridge has been born into wealth and heritage. He has a loving and dedicated father who has a clear vision of what the monarchy should represent, and a thoroughly modern mother who has embraced her new role as a member of the royal family, while injecting her own unique brand of warmth.

If William and Kate strike a balance between informality and royal tradition, Prince George will have the very best of both worldsâa life of royal privilege, coupled with the same loving and ordinary family upbringing that Kate enjoyed and William always wanted. That will surely be a winning combination in his future role as King of the United Kingdom.

KATE MIDDLETON'S FAMILY TREE