When Prince William married Catherine in April 2011 many people in the UK were very excited. They were even more excited when rumours about a Royal baby started at the end of last year. Then, on 3rd December, the news came that Catherine was expecting a baby.
The baby was due to be born in July. A few days before, some people were already waiting outside Buckingham Palace to hear the announcement. The baby was a few days late.
On 22nd July, Katherine gave birth to a baby boy at about 4pm. (That’s about midnight Japan time). His birth weight was 3.08kg which is quite heavy. A big sign was posted outside Buckingham Palace to announce it. This is an old tradition. The next day, Prince William and Katherine left the hospital with their son.
Two days later, his name was announced. His full name is George Alexander Louis and his title is Prince George of Cambridge.
The birth of Baby George was big news in Japan as well. One thing that many Japanese people were surprised by was how quickly Katherine left the hospital after he was born. In Britain, a new mother usually goes home the next day after her baby is born unless she or her baby has some medical problems.
After a baby is born in Japan, the mother usually stays in the hospital for a week or so. This seems like a long time to me. I remember my mother told me I was born at 1:30 am on a snowy April morning. We left the hospital at 10am the same morning and went home in a taxi!