There's nothing that brings excitement quite like the arrival of a new wee royal.
As we wait not-so-patiently for the next, let's look back at the fascinating traditions
that have surrounded royal pregnancies and babies.
Boy or bust
Historically, female heirs could only take the throne as an absolute last resort, so
royals used to go all-out in their efforts to ensure that a pregnant queen produced a
boy.
Tracy Borman, joint chief curator for Historic Royal Palaces, told The Daily Telegraph that
a series of rules put in place in the 15th century laid out some of those extreme measures.
Not only could royal mothers-to-be only be served by women, no natural light was allowed.
That meant "...all the windows were shuttered and even
keyholes were blocked up."
Fires also had to be lit year-round, because apparently baby boys like it warm.
These rules persisted for centuries because people believed that a baby's gender wasn't
set until birth, and that external factors could influence whether the queen produced
a boy or a girl.
A very crowded bedchamber
How's this for awkward: in order to prevent allegations of foul play, like replacing a
stillborn child with a live one, royal births used to have huge audiences.
According to historian and author Carolyn Harris, this tradition began during the reign
of James II and his wife, Mary of Modena.
All of their children had not lived past their infancy until their son, James Edward Francis
Stuart, was born in 1688.
Throughout Mary's pregnancy, the king was incredibly confident the baby would be a healthy
boy, which prompted rumors that a baby would be smuggled into the delivery room in the
event a healthy boy wasn't the outcome.
To put those rumors to rest, the king allowed more than 40 courtiers into Mary's bedchamber
to witness while she gave birth.
"What are all those men doing there?"
"what are all those men doing there?"
"Apparently that is the custom."
A more modern VIP list
While a room full of people eventually fell out of fashion for royal births, for many
years a government official was still required to be present to certify the birth as authentic.
The Telegraph reports that among these people were the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop
of London, and the home secretary of the day.
Eventually bishops were no longer required to be present, but home secretaries were.
The last royal baby born with a home secretary as a witness was Princess Alexandra of Kent,
who was born in 1936.
"Get out!
Oh no!
Uggghhh!"
'That blessed chloroform'
Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert had nine children.
When Victoria was pregnant with her sixth child in 1848, she requested the use of anesthesia.
At the time, however, her doctors deemed it too risky.
But by the time she was ready to deliver her eighth child, her doctors' reservations had
disappeared and she was administered chloroform.
According to The Guardian, Queen Victoria referred to the drug as "that blessed chloroform"
and described its effect as "...soothing, quieting and delightful beyond
measure."
In fact, historian Carolyn Harris notes that Victoria was so impressed, she sent bottles
of chloroform to her daughters and granddaughters when they were expecting children of their
own.
"Sorry!"
"Gimme some drugs!"
"You don't need drugs."
"I want those drugs!"
A history of home births
Until Anne, Princess Royal, elected to deliver at St. Mary's Hospital in London, nearly all
royal babies had been born at home.
Even Queen Elizabeth II was born via c-section at her grandparents' home in London, according
to the 2002 obituary for the Queen Mother.
In yet another departure from tradition, until recently a royal baby's father usually wasn't
present for the birth.
That changed with Prince Charles who, according to MSNBC, broke the tradition of paternal
absence when he remained in the room with Princess Diana during Prince William's birth
in 1982.
Over 30 years later, William chose to be in the room with Kate during her deliveries of
both George and Charlotte, and will undoubtedly do the same for baby number three.
Pomp and circumstance
The official announcement of a royal baby's birth is infused with centuries of tradition.
Not only is the queen to be informed of the birth before the general public, there's a
lot of pomp and circumstance associated with the announcement.
When Prince George was born in 2013, Buckingham Palace announced the birth by placing a framed
proclamation on a gold-trimmed wooden easel, just inside the palace gates.
The tradition, which dates back to the 18th century, was carried out again after Princess
Charlotte's birth.
According to The Telegraph, however, when Kate and William's next prince or princess
is born, Kensington Palace's announcement will be emailed to the press and go live on
social media before the easel is placed outside Buckingham Palace.
And you thought your cousin's birth announcement on Facebook was a big deal.
A little wiggle room
Despite the rules surrounding a royal birth announcement, there is no strict royal protocol
when it comes to baptism, though there is some tradition involved.
Before 2013, royal babies were typically baptized in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by
the Archbishop of Canterbury, but when Prince George was baptized in October 2013, USA Today
reports that the uncharacteristically small ceremony was held in the Chapel Royal at St.
James's Palace and there were only 22 people in attendance.
For Princess Charlotte's baptism, The Guardian notes that the family chose a church in Sandringham,
Norfolk where the royal family has an estate.
In another break with tradition, William and Kate chose close friends and family members
— as opposed to foreign dignitaries — to be George and Charlotte's godparents.
Their baptism best
There is one area where William and Kate did stick with tradition: both George and Charlotte
were baptized in a replica of a Victorian gown worn by generations of royal babies stretching
back to 1841.
According to The Telegraph, the original gown was commissioned by Queen Victoria for the
baptism of her oldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal.
Made of silk with a lace overlay, it was designed after Queen Victoria's wedding dress.
In its 163 years of use, the original was worn by 62 royal babies, including Queen Elizabeth,
Prince Charles, and Prince William.
The gown was retired in 2004 when it became too fragile for further use and the replica
was commissioned.
Prince George was reportedly the fourth royal baby to be baptized in the replica gown.
"This is a priceless family heirloom."
Thanks for watching!
Click the List icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!