Awaiting the Royal Birth: Kate Goes Into Labor

Awaiting the arrive of the third in line to the English throne.  I was 15 when William was born and back then there was no internet. I was in Michigan on vacation with my family at that time. I had previously watched Diana and Charles get married (stayed up nearly all night to watch the pre-wedding interview  and then woke up early CA time to watch the wedding live).

One generation later, me, my daughters, and their friends watched William and Kate get married.

My eldest daughter and I went to the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach this Spring and saw the Diana exhibit which was really a Royal exhibit: all sorts of royal memorabilia including one of the chairs from Charles' investure, letters, menus, etc., and of course (most importantly for us girls!) The Dresses. Not just Diana's but Kate's! It was so much fun to enjoy that with the next generation!

And now, with live feed on the internet, I can hear and see the announcement of their baby's arrival.

As for the baby's name, all kinds of bets are being made, but my guess is that they will choose a traditional first name of significance, and one of the middle names will be perhaps be Diana's middle name (they won't ever use her first name, I'm sure) which is Francis, or in the case of a boy, one of Williams' very close friends. Elizabeth is Kate's middle name and of course, the Queen's first name, so that's  a good guess too for first names or even a middle name. I believe, like their wedding, the name of their baby will reflect a very personal touch--friendships and relatives of significance personally, not merely historical, which I think Diana and Charles seemed to do (except one of William's names, Louis, was in memory of Charle's beloved uncle).

So we'll see. One thing is for sure, Catherine and William will keep tradition in mind, but they very much have an independent streak, which is frankly, refreshing.

To show how much more of a family the Windsors are, the Queen has gone to Buckingham Palace to await the birth of her great-grandchild, instead of going on to Balmoral Castle for her scheduled vacation. This I think shows her personal close relationship with William and Kate. Lessons learned from the past, again, I suspect. Its a good thing. I think she's genuinely happy about a new baby and an heir. Besides, she is very much a grandmother type, from what I've read.