As the day inches closer to the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s third child, we are taking a look back at how the births of their first two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, were announced and celebrated.
It was announced by Clarence House on the morning of the 22 July 2013 that the Duchess of Cambridge had been admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in the early stages of labour. Several hours later, Clarence House sent out a tweet and press release telling the world that the Duke and Duchess had welcomed a baby boy that afternoon. The traditional easel was placed at Buckingham Palace with the announcement. His name, George Alexander Louis, was announced two days later.
There were gun salutes all across the Commonwealth including in the capitals of New Zealand, Canada and the UK with the bells in churches, including Westminster Abbey, rang. The fountain at Trafalgar Square was lit up blue, as was Niagra Falls in North America.
Early in the morning on 2 May 2015 Kensington Palace stated on Twitter that the Duchess was in hospital and in labour with her second child. A couple of hours later Kensington Palace sent out a press release and tweet announcing to the world that Britain had a new princess. The formal announcement was then on display at Buckingham Palace. Her name was revealed as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana on 4 May.
Like her older brother, the birth was celebrated across the United Kingdom. Part of the celebrations took place on 3 May with the fountains in Trafalgar Square, the Tower Bridge and London Eye turned pink. The following day there were gun salutes fired from Hyde Park and Tower of London.
There were also celebrations to mark the occasion in the United States. At Disney World’s Epcot, a chalk announcement had been added to the walkway with the gender, height and weight in the UK pavilion in the World Showcase. Once her name was announced, a sign with Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was placed in one of the stores.
With the third Cambridge baby due any day, we can expect to see similar sights after his or her birth across the UK and Commonwealth.
