10. The Post-Birth Outfit Is Chosen Carefully
The birth of a royal baby is bound to get the public talking. Luckily, we've been able to see the birth of quite a few over the last few years. Prince George was born in 2015, and Princess Charlotte followed not too long after along, and SOON we will be graced with a third addition to the family. The world looks on to the family with uninterrupted interest.
Every time a member of the royal family becomes pregnant, it becomes worldwide news. The royal family is governed by all kinds of strange rules and traditions, and some of these rules govern the families pregnancies. Although these traditions might seem outdated, it's very hard to break from tradition if you're a member of the royal family. Here's a few of the strict rules a pregnant member of the family has to follow that will make you somewhat happy you weren't born into royalty.
Appearances are everything in the royal family, and detail is scrutinized and perfected by the family's advisers. Whenever a royal family member makes an appearance in public, you Bettie believe that a great deal of time and effort went into their outfit and general appearance. Remember when Kate and William emerged from the hospital after giving birth to George? Her post-pregnancy dress probably wasn't something she just threw on.
9. The Birth Is Announced By A Town Crier (Yes, They Still Exist)
It was carefully chosen beforehand. This is a rule ALL royal mothers must follow. Kate Middleton wore a blue polka dot dress that was similar to the one Princess Diana wore after she gave birth. Again, this wasn't an accident.
HEAR YE! HEAR YE! A ROYAL CHILD HAS BEEN BORN! It's not exactly like that, but you get the picture. Royal families use unofficial town criers to announce the birth of a royal baby to the world, because obviously a 61 gun salute isn't enough.
8. The Queen MUST Be The First To Know About The Birth
Who's this lucky bloke? His name is Tony Appleton, and he has announced the births of Prince George and Prince Charlotte. Town criers originate from Medieval times, when people could not read or write, so the only way to spend news was by word of mouth.
It's pretty obvious the Queen Elizabeth is the boss as far as the royal family goes. She was once a royal mother, and now she's the proud grandmother of more than a few children.
7. Royal Babies Use Cloth Diapers
Royal protocol states that the royal family member who is the parent of the child must IMMEDIATELY call the Queen on a special encrypted telephone.
Changing diapers, no matter who you are, isn't something parents look forward too when having children. However, it must be done, and it is rumored that Prince William handles this chore personally. The royal family also has a strict preference for cloth diapers. However, this unofficial rule was broken by Princess Diana, who once said, "I'd be pretty sure the baby will have disposable diapers rather than the cloth ones.
8. The Nannies Must Learn Defensive Driving and Taekwondo
I think it will be ordinary nappies, the ones that most people's babies use. That's a sign of the changing times. I think the royal family will, like any family, adapt with the times." It's reported that Kate Middleton prefers the cloth diapers.
The most inquired about of all the royal servants, are the nannies. These are people who are specially trained to look after the young royals.
7. There's Only Supposed To Be Two Children Per Royal Family
A royal expert confirms that, "The nannies are taught everything from defensive driving to security issues to how to care for a future king or queen. So she just really knows everything that you could possibly need to know about bringing up a child." These nannies are even trained in martial arts and defensive driving, such is the need to protect the young royals from harm.
The royal family is supposed to adhere to a strict two child policy which first started after Queen Elizabeth, who had four children. Since then, no other couple in the close royal line of secession has had more than two children. These two children are informally known as "an heir and a spare". Although this is a relaxed tradition, it's still a tradition nonetheless.
6. Gender Isn't Revealed Until The Moment Of Birth
Kate and Prince William are going to break this rule with their upcoming third child. This would break the royal norms and also mess with the pre-existing line of secession, considering every other family has two children. There's been recent changes to the laws that state that gender does not matter when it comes to secession. This means, that if Kate gives birth to a boy, he would still be behind Princess Charlotte in line for the throne.
Royal mothers must NOT under any circumstances reveal the baby's gender to the public. This is a tradition that has been upheld to this day. In fact, many royal couples don't even know the gender of their babies themselves until the moment of birth. An exception to this rule was of COURSE, Princess Diana who knew that she would be having boys, but successfully kept it a secret from the rest of the world.
5. The Father Gets To Go On Paternity Leave
Kate managed to drop a major hint that she would be having a girl, and it was seen as a pretty big deal. There were even rumors that the Queen would punish her for this little hiccup. What's also probably worth mentioning is that the royal family has a preference for boys which might have something to do with the tradition of keeping the baby's gender a secret.
It's a well-known fact that royal family members do not have to work. If they wanted, they could basically sit at home and busy themselves with the vague "royal duties". Prince William used to be very involved with the East Anglia Air Ambulance as a helicopter pilot which was pretty much a real job.
4. All Baby's Are Born At St. Mary's Hospital In A Special Private Wing
When Prince George was born in 2015, he announced that he was taking a 6-week unpaid paternity leave. Being a royal has some pretty good benefits. William came under fire for taking this long leave, but he then admitted that his absence was a combination of paternity leave AND holiday.
Back in the day, royal babies were born at home with the help of midwives and doctors. However, the recent tradition has changed. Who started this new trend? None other than Princess Diana.
3. Midwives Are Present And They're All Sworn To Secrecy
She decided to give birth to children in the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital. As a result of this, Kate Middleton decided to give birth to her children in the exact same wing. Perhaps Meghan Markle will follow this tradition?
Obviously, the first royal births predated modern medicine. This was during a time where childbirth was much more risky, and we didn't have the same medicine and knowledge we have today. However, midwives have always been present during royal births, even now, and these are highly trained individuals who have been helping the royal family with births for centuries.
2. The Royal Baby Is Usually Given Three To Four First Names
If you'er going to have a royal birth, it's expected of you to have royal midwives by your side. In the case of Kate Middleton, doctors were present and involved, but the royal midwives never left her side. In fact, it's rumored that Kate Middleton became very close to her midwives.
The funnest part about having a baby is probably naming them. However, when it comes to naming children in the royal family, they have a slightly different approach than most. The average non-royal person has a first name and maybe a middle name. The Royal family isn't satisfied with just that!
1. The Royal Baby Gets Six Godparents
The royal family typically gives 3 to 4 first names to their children. While this might seem like a lot, you need to keep in mind that royals technically don't have last names. Prince George has three names, George Alexander Louis, and his sister, Charlotte also has three: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana (AW).
Normal babies are given only one or two godparents, but royals see godparents as very important people, so they usually give them at least six instead of just one set. This is a tradition that exists within many royal families, not just the English one.
It's a way for monarchies to link different nations together.