Kate's exclusive royal baby club

In the end, David Cameron rushing through changes to the law to allow a girl to succeed above a younger brother was just a keep fit exercise for him as Kate did what Queen Consorts and queens in waiting through history have dreamed of doing.  She had a boy first.

The arrival of the Prince of Cambridge on a hot July afternoon, weighing a very impressive 8lbs and 6oz, set off countrywide celebrations.  The water in the fountains in Trafalgar Square will be blue for the next week thanks to some cunning lights while the London Eye and the Millennium Bridge all sparkled with colour to mark the arrival of the boy who will be king.

 

Kate did what all queens hoped to do - she had a boy first. 

And having a little boy makes Kate a member of a very exlcusive royal baby club.  Because of the current generation of heirs in waiting, only one other has had a boy first.  Mary of Denmark's eldest is little Prince Christian, born in October 2005 amid a rush of first born girls in other European monarchies.

Princess Mary of Denmark is the only other heiress to give birth to a son first

 

The norm now is for a girl to take the throne which makes the future Kings of Denmark and England stand out from the royal crowd just a little.

But while we all knew what Mary would call her little prince - in Denmark the heir's first son alternates between Christian and Frederick - the guessing game over baby Cambridge goes on.

First glimpse of HRH the Prince of Cambridge today?

The power of the subconscious was a bit of a booby trap for predicting the gender of the little baby whose arrival on Monday afternoon started off a chain of celebrations around the UK.  BBC Royal Correspondent Peter Hunt in a live interview outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's in Paddington referred to the baby and her parents.  It set tongues wagging with whispers that as a royal correspondent he might just be in the know and have let his guard down for a moment.

Future queen consort Kate Middleton - about to deliver a future Queen Regnant?

(photo Tom Soper Photography)

 

But no, he'd just been talking for several hours and it was just a slip of the tongue.  Because we now know that we have a little Prince of Cambridge who will one day be king.

And now we wait to find out when we get a first glimpse.  Just a few thousand media outside the Lindo Wing waiting for Kate and her two princes.  Expectactions are today will be the day they show off their little man.  One thing is certain, by the end of the week we'll see the face that one day will grace stamps, posters, tea towels and newspapers for years to come.

An official title for Kate's baby

With just days to go until the royal baby's due date, the child's title has been confirmed.  Third in line to the throne will be either HRH Prince of Princess of Cambridge.

 

The city of Cambridge is about to get its first prince or princess for over 100 years

(photo Chris Jeffries)

It's not really that much of a surprise as that's how the reigning grandchildren of monarchs are titled, taking the HRH title by right then becoming prince or princess of the place their parents take their main title from. 

The arms of HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

The last princes and princesses of Cambridge were William's great great great grandmother, Mary Adelaide and her sister, Augusta and brother, George.  Mary Adelaide went on to marry the Duke of Teck and their eldest daughter, Mary, became Queen Consort to George V.

Mary Adelaide, Princess of Cambridge and later Duchess of Teck...her eldest daughter became Queen Consort of England. 

 

Augusta became Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg while George inherited the Dukedom of Cambridge and spent a lot of time rowing with various people about who he could and couldn't marry. 

 

They all took their title from their father - Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and seventh son of George III and Queen Consort Charlotte.  It's not likely that Adolphus will find his first name re-appearing in the royal Cambridge family when the current Duke and Duchess welcome their newborn baby but Charlotte is now joint favourite with the bookies for a girl and tomorrow we'll look at the 'Charles' girl's names that our previous Queen Consorts might lend to a future Queen Regnant.