William and Kate Broke Protocol Over George’s Birth Announcement With a ‘Last-Minute’ Decision
Prince William and Kate Middleton breached royal protocol for a modern and quicker way to announce their firstborn's arrival.
The birth of any future British monarch holds a special place in the nation’s history, but over recent generations, royal births have adapted to reflect changing times. King Charles and Princess Diana broke tradition by opting to welcome their children at St. Mary’s Hospital rather than in a palace. Decades later, Prince William and Kate Middleton continued to modernize royal protocol when announcing the arrival of their firstborn, Prince George.
For ages, royal birth announcements were made by posting a notice on an easel in front of Buckingham Palace. However, William and Middleton opted for a "more modern, quicker method" to announce their happy news. George was born on Monday, July 22, 2013, at 4:24 p.m. "A minute before Big Ben struck 8:30 p.m. and dusk fell upon London, the couple gave their aides permission to issue a statement via email and Twitter (now known as X) announcing the birth. It was a last-minute change of plan," royal correspondent Katie Nicholl wrote in Vanity Fair.
According to Nicholl, "William and Kate decided that it would be 'simpler and easier' to announce the news via email and social media." Clarence House tweeted the joyous announcement at the time, saying, "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4:24 p.m." According to InStyle, the birth bulletin was later placed outside the palace, which 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."
Reportedly, the now-Prince and Princess of Wales were "incredibly relaxed" about their son’s birth announcement—so calm, in fact, that Kensington Palace staff became "slightly more nervous." Courtiers ultimately had to turn to historical archives to draft the perfect announcement for the future king. “On the surface, they were both incredibly relaxed, which actually made us all slightly more nervous. We genuinely had no idea how the birth should be announced, so we proceeded to get some old documents and newspaper cuttings from the archives, which only complicated matters,” a former courtier told HELLO!
The courtier further added, “The weight of expectation was extraordinary. There was no doubt in our minds that this would be a global event, so everything had to be right.” However, William and Kate also broke another protocol regarding George’s birth announcement. While it's customary to announce a royal birth without delay, the couple reportedly requested the Palace to delay the news by four hours so they could spend a few private moments together as a young family.
This Wednesday, George is celebrating his 13th birthday. It must be a bittersweet moment for William and Middleton, as their oldest son officially entered his teenage years. The young royal would soon follow in his father’s footsteps by beginning his secondary education at Eton College this year.
