The accidental history heroes who will be present for the birth of royal baby no. 2
THE arrival of the newest royal baby will see a few accidental heroes who were going about their normal jobs but will suddenly have a story to tell the grand kids.
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THE arrival of the newest royal baby isn’t just about princes and princesses. There will be a few accidental heroes in there as well.
Ask any of the dedicated royalists camped outside St Mary’s Hospital in London and they will reel off the names of the key people like it’s their two-times table.
Princess Kate, Prince William, Prince George, the Queen, Princess Diana … they’ll also give you the resumes of chief obstetrician Guy Thorpe Beeston and his number two man Alan Farthing if you want.
Even eccentric baby watchers such as Terry Hutt and John Louhgry have become well known as their names and pictures are posted on news websites around the world.
But there are others who will play big parts in the arrival of the fourth in line to the British throne, whose names will never be known to the general public. With many sworn to secrecy, their involvement will become part of family folklore, passed down through generations.
And unlike Guy Thorpe Beeston and Alan Farthing and their team of highly experienced and carefully chosen support staff, some will find themselves part of royal history simply by being in the right place at the right time.
The two royal obstetricians put a line through their appointment books two weeks ago in readiness for the birth, but it is believed the support team is on a rotating roster, meaning that for some, being part of the actual delivery will depend solely on the time the baby decides to arrive.
In fact, from the moment Princess Kate went labour the involvement of many key personnel was a matter of timing, rosters and luck.
Who will be the person at Kensington Palace who sends out the long-awaited tweet and Instagram posts alerting followers?
When Princess Kate arrives at the hospital’s Lindo Wing, she will no doubt be immediately placed in a wheelchair to be taken to the delivery suite. Who will push it? All going to plan, a midwife from the team who has won the roster lottery, but while sources close to Kensington Palace say they have prepared for “all contingencies” but undoubtedly wardsmen will be hoping that the unexpected happens and they are called to lend a hand.
Which of the hospital’s receptionists will happen to be rostered on as the Princess is wheeled past?
It will be the same scenario after the birth when Kate, this time with the newest royal in her arms, is again pushed to the front doors of the Lindo Wing before stepping outside to face the waiting media.
One only has to look at footage of Prince George’s first glimpse at the outside world to see what a coveted role it is to hold open those two doors as the cameras flash.
But perhaps of all the anonymous peripheral figures who awake each morning hoping that the new baby arrives on their watch, none can come close to the two Buckingham Palace footmen who will carry an easel to the palace gates and post the notice announcing the baby’s birth.
Photos and videos of them making the long walk will go straight onto social media thanks to tourists from all over the world. If ever anyone doubts their involvement in a royal birth, they need only direct them to YouTube.
Asked if, like the medical team, the footmen had been hand-picked, a palace source answered, “No, it’s just whoever happens to be rostered on. If it’s them, it’s just their lucky day.”
Originally published as The accidental history heroes who will be present for the birth of royal baby no. 2
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