The World Meets Baby Cambridge

It was as though time had stood still. 

The world waited and anticipated for this moment - the moment when it got its first look at the future King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom, UK, Great Britain, or Britain for short).

     Throughout the day, is wasn't at all clear if the Cambridges were leaving yesterday or today. But the official celebrations of the birth continued with the traditional 62-gun salute at the Tower of London (21 for a normal salute, 20 for taking place at a royal palace, and 21 marking the loyalty of London to the monarchy), 41-gun salute by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park (21 for a normal salute, 20 for taking place in a royal park), and the peeling of bells at Westminster Abbey. The Band of the Scots Guards also played the song "Congratulations" during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Similar gun salutes and tributes occurred in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and other realms and territories.

Carole and Michael Middleton leaving the hospital upon visiting their daughter and baby grandson.

It was the Prince of Wales who may have inadvertently let it slip that the Cambridges and the baby were coming out soon.

     Eventually, events started to pick up pace at St. Mary's Hospital. First, Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, arrived at the hospital in a taxicab. They visited for a few minutes and later chatted with the media before leaving the area. Later, Prince Charles and Camilla paid their own visit (having flown in by helicopter after completing engagements in Yorkshire), after which the Prince told the public that they would see the baby soon. Kensington Palace then released a statement stating that the William, Kate, and their boy would in fact be departing the hospital later that evening. For the next few hours, cameras were trained directly on the door of the hospital, with crowds expressing cheers and then disappointment whenever the doors opened, only to reveal people other than William, Kate, and the baby.

     Finally, with the hospital staff lined up by the railings, it was clear the moment was soon coming. A few minutes later, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came outside of hospital, with Kate holding the baby. As they did so, a huge roar went up, and the couple legitimately appeared to be overwhelmed by enormous crowds that had gathered there. As they made their way down the steps, the new prince raised his hands, appearing to wave. Kate then handed him over to William, and they walked across the street to give their remarks and to take some questions from the media, which is another example of breaking new ground for the monarchy. Among other things, William teased the press about their long wait, stated that he and Kate were still working on the boys name, and the remarked that the baby had more hair than him. Kate talked about the experience they had which was shared by other new parents around the nation and world. The two of them also bantered with each other about changing diapers and over from whom the baby took his looks. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the newest member of the royal family

     The couple headed back inside the hospital for a brief period before emerging again with William carrying the baby in a carrier/car seat. He placed the child in the back seat of a Land Rover with Kate, and then he himself (with a royal protection officer in the passenger seat) got into the driver's seat and drove off to the small cottage in which he and Kate live on the grounds of Kensington Palace, another break with protocol and an attempt to show William and Kate as a modern royal couple.

     All in all, it was an exciting day with tradition and modernity mixing neatly together. Now is time for the new family to have their time alone. William has two weeks of official paternity leave before he returns to his RAF search and rescue base in Wales, and since renovations to their 21 room apartment in Kensington Palace (formerly occupied by the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret) are not yet complete, it appears likely Kate and William will spend some time at her parent's home in Bucklebury, Berkshire. It is equally likely that this baby will not have another formal appearance until his christening, which may not be until September or October when the Queen returns from her annual summer holiday (vacation, as we call it in the States) in Scotland. Today, the Queen did pay a half-hour visit to Kensington Palace to see her third great-grandchild and third generation heir to the throne (and soon afterward, Kate and William headed to Bucklebury to visit her parents).

      When the Queen met him, she must have taken some comfort in knowing that the monarchy is secure for the rest of this century and possibly into the next. Of course, the boy will be reign for several decades, but that doesn't seem to matter. His birth alone has delighted the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and world. Only the most cynical could not find something to be happy about with the arrival of this child who will one day preside over one of the oldest and most storied institutions of the world. 

     Let us all wish him a happy and long life.

Photo Credit: Christopher Neve via Photopin cc, Steve Rhodes via Photopin cc