Prince George of Cambridge

Not to be confused with Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.
Prince George

Prince George in April 2016
Born (2013-07-22) 22 July 2013
St Mary's Hospital, London, England
Full name
George Alexander Louis[fn 1]
House Windsor
Father Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Mother Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Prince George of Cambridge (George Alexander Louis;[fn 1] born 22 July 2013) is the elder child and only son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. He is third in line to succeed his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after his paternal grandfather, Charles, Prince of Wales, and his father.

Announcement

On 3 December 2012, Clarence House announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expecting their first child.[2] At less than twelve weeks, the announcement was made earlier in the pregnancy than is traditional because of the Duchess's admission to hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum.[3]

Before the birth, there was speculation the event would boost the British national economy and provide a focus for national pride.[4][5] Welsh composer Paul Mealor, who composed "Ubi Caritas et Amor" for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess, composed a lullaby entitled "Sleep On", with lyrics by Irish composer Brendan Graham. A recording was made of it by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra as a gift for the baby.[6][7][8] Commemorative coins were issued by the Royal Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, and Royal Australian Mint;[9][10][11] the first time a royal birth had been marked that way.[9][12]

Birth

George on 23 July 2013

The Duchess was admitted to St Mary's Hospital, London, in the early stages of labour on 22 July 2013.[13][14] She gave birth to a boy weighing 8 pounds 6 ounces (3.80 kg) at 16:24 BST (15:24 UTC) later the same day.[15][16] This marked the second time that three generations of direct heirs to the British throne have been alive at the same time, a situation that last occurred between 1894 and 1901, in the last seven years of the reign of Queen Victoria.

The birth took place in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington[17]—the same hospital in which Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, were born to Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1982 and 1984, respectively. Queen Elizabeth II's former gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell, delivered the baby assisted by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, Sunit Godambe and Physician to the Queen John Cunningham.[15][18][19] The midwifery team accompanying the gynaecologists was led by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust's director of midwifery Professor Jackie Dunkley-Bent.[20] William was by his wife's side when she gave birth.[18]

The customary formal bulletin announcing the royal birth was displayed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace, although in a break with tradition the news was first conveyed in a press release from palace officials.[16][21] Gun salutes signalled the birth in the capitals of Bermuda,[22] the UK,[23] New Zealand,[24] and Canada;[25] the bells of Westminster Abbey and many other churches were rung;[26][27] and iconic landmarks in the Commonwealth realms were illuminated in various colours, mostly blue to signify the birth of a boy.[28][29][30][31][32]

The Duchess and her baby, accompanied by the Duke, left hospital on 23 July,[33] and the baby's name was announced as George Alexander Louis the following day.[34][35][36] William took the full two weeks' paternity leave from his job (as a RAF search and rescue pilot) allowed by the Ministry of Defence.[37]

Biography

George with his parents and the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, at Admiralty House, Sydney, April 2014
George with his parents and President Obama, April 2016

Prince George was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace on 23 October 2013, with Oliver Baker, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, The Hon. Julia Samuel, William van Cutsem and Zara Tindall serving as godparents.[38][39] The ceremony used a font that was made for Queen Victoria's first child and water from the River Jordan.[40][41] The Royal Mint issued a set of commemorative coins to celebrate the christening, the first coins to mark a royal christening in Britain.[42]

George, with his parents, embarked on his first royal tour in April 2014, during which the Cambridges spent three weeks in New Zealand and Australia. His first public engagement of the tour was on 9 April at a playdate at Government House, Wellington, organised by the New Zealand parenting organisation, Plunket. His parents also attended.[43] On 20 April, Easter Sunday, he met a bilby named after him at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.[44] The BBC said at the end of the tour "there's no doubt Prince George stole the limelight".[45]

George's first birthday party was themed around children's author Beatrix Potter, who knew and was related to members of the Lupton family, George's maternal ancestors.[46][47][48]

On 2 May 2015, George visited the hospital of his birth after the birth of his sister Charlotte, his first public appearance in the United Kingdom.[49] He made his first public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Trooping the Colour parade on 13 June that year, to watch a flypast by the Red Arrows on the Queen's Official Birthday.[50][51]

In August 2015, Kensington Palace stated that they wanted all global media to stop taking unauthorised photographs of George, as they believed "a line has been crossed" in paparazzi methods of locating and photographing him.[52]

In January 2016, George started his education at the Westacre Montessori School Nursery, near his family home at Anmer Hall in Norfolk.[53] That April, he was photographed for postage stamps to mark his great-grandmother's 90th birthday, alongside his father and grandfather.[54] On 22 April of that year, he met President of the United States Barack Obama.[55] He was photographed with a rocking horse that Obama had given him when he was born.[56] The encounter later prompted Obama to joke that "Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe... a clear breach of protocol."[57]

Prince George effect

The Prince George effect, also known as the royal baby effect, is the trend that news about Prince George has in business and pop culture, similar to his mother's. Clothing and products identified as used by George tend to sell better than before. The effect was noted during his April 2014 tour of New Zealand and Australia and many businesses have attempted to use this effect to their advantage.[58] He was ranked No. 49 on GQ's "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain" list in 2015.[59] In 2016, the dressing gown he wore sold out after he was seen wearing it.[60]

Title and style

Prince George's official title and style is His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.[61][62] While his name was announced two days after his birth, he was, from birth, a British prince entitled to the style of Royal Highness under letters patent issued by his great-great-great grandfather, King George V in 1917, which gave the title and style to the eldest son of the Prince of Wales's eldest son.[63] Letters patent issued on 31 December 2012 by Queen Elizabeth II extended the 1917 patent so that all children of the Prince of Wales's eldest son are princes or princesses with the style Royal Highness.[64][65] As with other princes and princesses who are born to royal dukes, George's territorial designation is taken from his father's title,[61] in this case "Cambridge", from Duke of Cambridge.[66]

Ancestry

Through his father, he is a member of the House of Windsor. Through his mother he is a descendant of the Middleton family. Through his paternal grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales, he descends from the Spencer family, and also from three of the illegitimate children of Charles II and James II. As a great-grandchild of the Duke of Edinburgh, his patrilineal descent is from the Greek and Danish royal families.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 British princes and princesses such as Prince George do not normally use a surname. When needed, the surname for male-line descendants of Elizabeth II is usually Mountbatten-Windsor,[1] although others have been used in certain contexts.

References

  1. "The Royal Family name". The Official Website of the British Monarchy. The Royal Household. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  2. "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby". Clarence House. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  3. "Royal pregnancy: Duchess leaves hospital". BBC News. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  4. Kirka, Danica (12 June 2013). "Baby Bounce: Royal infant may help UK economy". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  5. Griffiths, Kathie (19 July 2013). "Campaign launched to show national pride". The Telegraph & Argus.
  6. Furness, Hannah (7 May 2013). "Royal Wedding composer writes lullaby for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  7. "Brendan Graham pens song for Prince William & Kate Middleton". Hot Press. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  8. "Hayley Westenra / Paul Mealor / Brendan Graham – Sleep On (Gift for Royal Baby) (Lyric Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  9. 1 2 Low, Valentine (26 July 2013). "Royal Mint strikes lucky with prince's name". The Times. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  10. "Governor General unveils coins commemorating birth of Prince George". CTV. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  11. "2013 50c Silver Proof Royal Baby". Royal Australian Mint. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  12. The Royal Mint page on the occasion of the Royal Christening of Prince George of Cambridge The Royal Mint (www.royalmint.com) Retrieved on 11 November 2013.
  13. Saul, Heather (22 July 2013). "Royal baby: Duchess of Cambridge goes into labour". The Independent. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  14. Davies, Caroline (22 July 2013). "Duchess of Cambridge in labour and admitted to hospital". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  15. 1 2 Davies, Caroline (24 July 2013). "Prince of Cambridge's parents present him to the world at first photocall". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2013. As is traditional, the birth announcement also appeared in the Court Circular, the published diary of royal engagements which was started by George III in 1803. It read: "Kensington Palace 22nd July, 2013. The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24 p.m. today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both well. Signed: Marcus Setchell, Guy Thorpe-Beeston, Sunnit Godambe, John Cunningham." The signatories are the medical team who attended the duchess during the birth.
  16. 1 2 Owen, Paul; Walker, Peter; Quinn, Ben; Gabbatt, Adam (22 July 2013). "Royal baby: Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to a boy – live coverage". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  17. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60576. p. 14493. 22 July 2013.
  18. 1 2 "Royal baby: Kate gives birth to boy". BBC News. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  19. Rayner, Gordon (22 July 2013). "Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to baby boy". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  20. Chamberlain, Gethin; Elliott, Valerie (28 July 2013). "11 hours' labour and all natural! How serene Kate sailed through a textbook delivery as she goes through the perfect birth she was hoping for". Daily Mail. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  21. "Royal baby bulletin displayed at palace (video)". BBC News. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  22. "Royal Baby Born, Regiment to Fire 21 Gun Salute". Bernews. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  23. "Royal Baby: Birth Marked With Gun Salutes". Sky News. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  24. Shuttleworth, Kate (23 July 2013). "Royal baby: NZ marks birth with 21-gun salute". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  25. "Special Gun Salute Honours Birth of Royal Baby". Market Wired. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  26. "Live: Royal baby welcomed with full peal of bells at Westminster Abbey (video)". The Telegraph. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  27. "The birth of HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge". Bell Board. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  28. Magi, Kim (3 July 2013). "Royal baby: CN Tower to light up pink or blue to honour birth". Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  29. "Royal baby: Canada's GG quick to react to 'wonderful' news". CBC News. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  30. Waldie, Paul (12 July 2013). "Around the world, the countdown is on for the royal baby". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  31. "Kiwi landmarks to light up for royal baby". NZ News. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  32. Mead, Thomas (11 July 2013). "Royal baby to light up Chch Airport". 3 News. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  33. "William and Kate head home with baby prince". BBC News. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  34. Kensington Palace (the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son George Alexander Louis. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge."Royal baby Prince George Cambridge The Guardian 24 July 2013
  35. "Royal baby: Kate and William name their son George Alexander Louis". Yahoo News. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  36. Birth certificate details: A copy of the original certificate, Entry No. 207 in the Westminster Registration district, dated 2 August 2013, appeared in The Daily Telegraph 2 August 2013 It was in the standard form, completed with the Date of birth: 22 July 2013; the child's Name and surname: "His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge"; the father's Name and surname: HRH "Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge", and Occupation: "Prince of the United Kingdom"; the mother's Name and surname: "Catherine Elizabeth Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge", Occupation: "Princess of the United Kingdom", and Maiden surname: "Middleton"; Usual address: "Kensington Palace London"; informant "Father", whose signature, "William", was inserted in the section certifying the truth of the particulars.
  37. "Royal baby: William and Kate name their son George". BBC News. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  38. "The christening of Prince George of Cambridge". Clarence House. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  39. "Prince George christening: Godparents announced". BBC News. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  40. Relph, Daniela (23 October 2013). "Low-key christening for Prince George". BBC News. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  41. "Prince George on his best behaviour as he is christened". The Daily Telegraph. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  42. "Royal christening £5 coin for Prince George". Western Daily Press. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  43. "Prince George takes charge at Royal playdate". TVNZ: ONE News. 9 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  44. Puente, Maria (21 April 2014). "Prince George meets his bilby namesake at Sydney zoo". USA Today.
  45. Witchell, Nicholas (25 April 2014). "Royal tour: Prince George steals the show as support for monarchy rises". BBC News.
  46. Walker, Tim (22 July 2014). "The Duchess of Cambridge is related to Beatrix Potter, who once gave the Middleton family her own original hand-painted illustrations". The Daily Telegraph. p. 8. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  47. "Beatrix Potter cards under hammer". BBC. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2013. They (the paintings) were painted for Potter's young cousins, (sisters) Bessie and Elinor Lupton...
  48. Nicholl, Katie. "Kate: The Future Queen". Weinstein Books, 13 Dec.,2013 - Biography & Autobiography - 352 pages. ISBN 978-1602862401. Retrieved January 14, 2016. Olive Middleton (nee Lupton), Kate's great grandmother.... an Edwardian society beauty...had a number of illustrious family members...including the children's writer Beatrix Potter
  49. "'It means a great deal': Kate and William are 'hugely grateful' for public's warm wishes following the birth of their daughter spending day with proud grandparents (and Auntie Pippa)". Daily Mail. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  50. "Prince George joins royal balcony tradition". BBC News. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  51. "Prince George watches on excitedly as Royal family arrive at Trooping the Colour parade". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  52. "Prince George 'being harassed by paparazzi'". BBC News. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  53. "Prince George to attend Westacre Montessori School Nursery". BBC News. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  54. "All eyes on 2-year-old Prince George in new royal photo". CBS News. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  55. "In pictures: US President Barack Obama in the UK". BBC News. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  56. "Prince George meets Obama, rides rocking horse gift". CTV. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  57. "Barack Obama jokes Prince George's pyjamas greeting was 'slap in the face' in his final speech at White House Correspondents' dinner". Daily Telegraph. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  58. "Your Community 'Prince George Effect' still in full force on tot's 1st birthday". Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  59. "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015". GQ. 5 January 2015.
  60. "Prince George $50 robe sells out in minutes". Hello!. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  61. 1 2 "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – The Duchess of Cambridge has been delivered of a son". Clarence House website. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  62. "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge name their baby, Clarence House website". Princeofwales.gov.uk. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  63. The London Gazette: no. 30428. p. 13086. 14 December 1917. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  64. The London Gazette: no. 60384. p. 213. 8 January 2013.
  65. "Royal baby girl 'would be princess'". BBC News. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  66. "The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall News and Diary, Clarence House website". 24 July 2013.

External links

Prince George of Cambridge
Born: 22 July 2013
Lines of succession
Preceded by
The Duke of Cambridge
Line of succession to the British throne
3rd position
Followed by
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Earl of St Andrews
Gentlemen Followed by
Foreign officials
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