Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a baby boy on 22 July, to the delight of much of the United Kingdom. The little fellow replaces Prince Harry as the third in line to the throne.
The UK has been in a general state of celebration over the past few days, paying tribute to the generally beloved Prince William and Princess Kate and their newest addition to the family. Bells ring out in Churches throughout the countryside, the Navy salutes from the sea, the air force from up high, pubs are decorated with British flags and children make congratulations cards in school classrooms.
There had been much speculation during the run-up to the birth, on what they would call the little chap, with bookies actually running high end bets. After much ado and little surprise, the couple announced his name yesterday as “George”, or to be more precise: Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
The name George pays a tribute to William’s grandfather George VI.
The name was chosen pretty quickly for a royal baby, unlike the little one’s father, whose parents – the Prince and Princess of Wales – waited for 7 days before deciding on a name.
His brother, Prince Harry, expressed his delight at the arrival of his nephew, before joking about his babysitting rates: “it’s fantastic to have another addition to the family; I only hope my brother knows how expensive my babysitting charges are!”
The Catholics of the United Kingdom have also joined in with the celebrations, as the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales extends his congratulations and prayers to the Royal family, in the name of the Catholic community in Britain:
“On behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, I would like to congratulate Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their son, His Royal Highness, the Prince of Cambridge” exclaimed Archbishop Vincent Nichols."
"The birth of the new Prince will be a source of joy not only for the Royal Family but for the peoples of the United Kingdom and beyond. I assure Their Royal Highnesses of the prayers and best wishes of the Catholic Church in England and Wales for their new family.”
"May Our Lord Jesus Christ bless and protect them, and may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Joseph intercede for them.”
The young couple Kate and William have certainly captured the hearts of the British nation over the recent years, with their down-to-earth lifestyle and kind hearted manner. Now, this newest addition to the family seems only to have cemented the nation’s general support for the Royal Family.
Indeed, a recent poll showed that only 17% of the UK would prefer a republic state over a monarchy. After a rocky patch in the nineties, the Royal Family has slowly gained the support of their nation once more, through careful management and PR, as well as the relaxed and smiling faces of the couple of the hour, and today, the monarchy generates a monumental yearly income for its nation.
Anthony Kendall, from Brand Finance PLC, told the BBC that “This year the Monarchy is going to contribute maybe £1.5 billion to the UK economy, and that is made up of tourism and PR coverage; so the value of all those pictures that get transmitted around the world of the royals.”
He also mentioned that the coverage of the royal baby was “likely to generate in the order of £500 million.”
The young prince George certainly won’t have an ordinary life, growing up under the gaze of the entire world. However if one thing’s for sure, he has been born to some very proud and loving parents.
And today we celebrate...