Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton gave the world the first glimpse of their new baby on Tuesday. They left the hospital to a barrage of camera flashes with the boy who is third in line to the British throne. Did you notice how Kate wore polka dots just like Lady Di did in her first appearance with Prince Will?
Cheered by well-wishers, the couple waved and took turns to hold their son, wrapped tightly in a white blanket with only the top of his head and his hands visible.
“We are still working on a name, so we will have that as soon as we can,” William told reporters, adding that he could not be happier.
“He’s got her looks, thankfully,” he added, glancing at his wife. Kate, wearing a pale blue dress with white polka dots, brushed aside the compliment, saying “No, no, I’m not sure about that.”
“It’s such a special time,” she added, as onlookers hung out of the windows of surrounding buildings for a better view. “Any parent will probably know what this feeling is like.”
The couple followed tradition by giving the public the first sight of the baby on the steps of the hospital as they left — just as William’s father Prince Charles and late mother, Princess Diana, did with him.
A relaxed William laughed as he confirmed he had already changed his first nappy and joked that he would remind his son “of his tardiness when he is a bit older”, because the infant had kept them, and the public, waiting longer than expected.
“He’s got a good pair of lungs on him, that’s for sure. He’s a big boy, he’s quite heavy,” William added, according to Reuters.
Their baby cried and wiggled his fingers as William carried him in a car seat to a Range Rover before driving his family to nearby Kensington Palace, his childhood home.
Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were the first visitors to see the couple and their new child. Asked if she would reveal the name or had made any suggestions, Kate’s mother said: “Absolutely not.”
Apart from the media, the event attracted hundreds of well-wishers from the public.
“We’re here to witness history, where a future monarch has been born,” said Maria Scott, a housewife who had camped outside the hospital since Saturday.
“I’m thrilled,” Charles said. His second wife, Camilla, spoke of a “wonderfully uplifting moment for the country”, saying Charles would make a “brilliant” grandfather.
Congratulations flooded in from around the world after the birth, followed moment-by-moment by the global media.
Royal experts said the baby would now be taken out of the public glare.
“Having a baby is a very private moment, and they are a private couple, so the next time we see the baby will be the official photo, and that could be weeks,” said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2013.
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