Royal rule meant Kate couldn't tell her own mum she'd given birth to baby George

30 September 2023 , 11:26

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Prince George was born on July 22 2013 (Image: Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

It’s been over a decade since Prince George was born, the late Queen Elizabeth’s first great-grandchild and the future heir to the throne.

He was born on July 22 2013, two years after the wedding of his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton. It sparked a media furore in the country and around the world as people clambered to see the first picture of the newborn. But not many might be aware of the strict rule which the Princess of Wales had no option but to obey when she gave birth to her first son. The rule concerned keeping the birth of the baby totally secret at first.

That is, until one member of the Royal family in particular had been informed - the late Queen. It was part of a strict protocol to be followed after the birth of a future monarch: no one could learn the news of Prince George’s birth until the current monarch herself had been alerted.

Prince George enjoys watching sport - particularly in the royal box at Wimbledon (WireImage)

Kate was not permitted to tell her parents, any other family members nor her friends until the late Queen had been informed of her great-grandson’s birth. Even medical members of staff in the delivery room were sworn to total secrecy regarding the birth.

The full royal protocol states that the current monarch must always be the first call following the birth of a future monarch. And it was George’s father and next-in-line to the throne Prince William who made the call from a specially encrypted phone to break the exciting news to his grandma, Cosmopolitan reported.

'I gave birth in a car stuck in traffic - my baby ended up inside my trousers'

But that wasn’t all - there was another strict piece of protocol following the birth which had to be followed. According to royal regulations, the monarch must give consent to the prospective name for a future monarch - meaning Will and Kate had to seek her approval for the name George. Given it was the name of her beloved father, perhaps they knew it would be an easy yes. And so, adhering to all possible royal rules and regulations, the news of Prince George Alexander Louis’ birth was shared with the world.

Alex Croft