And there we have it. A king is born. As the world waited with baited breath for the news, Kate and Wills managed to get a precious four private hours with their newborn son without anybody outside of the Lindo Wing knowing of his birth - crafty and yet rightly so.
The media are of course writing every story possible about the baby and trying to drag out every ounce of information for all it's worth but for the most of us now, we can get back to our normal lives. No more panic checks of the news before opening Twitter and Facebook. No more bets on names, weights, hair colours [although the bookies will undoubtedly come up with some new wonders - how about where the baby's christening will be; what colour dress Kate will wear; what brand of Royal nappies they use; and then later down the road which school he will attend]. The nation (and world) will remain captivated by this little boy for the rest of his life. He has no idea of the storm into which he has entered. In a way I feel sorry for the little boy. He will never know normality, never get to go to his friends' houses after school for tea, never go trick or treating, or scare himself witless on the teacups at a fairground. Despite his parents' efforts (and judging by their own down to earth attitudes I feel they will try to keep him out of the media as much as possible), he will be scrutinised and followed everywhere he goes.
Kate married William knowing what she was entering into. But Prince George has been born into this with no choice in the matter. His future is decided whether he like it or not. And perhaps therein lies the key question about monarchy itself - should these people, born into wealth and media and etiquettes and responsibility be revelled and respected as much as they are? The Queen has significant interaction with the Prime Minister and indeed approves some governmental orders. She is not 'qualified' to make these decisions any more so than you or I but her fundamental position in UK society (and across the Commonwealth to some extent) gives her that right. The Royal family own and reside in numerous palaces and castles around the country and are served by a significant number of staff. Yet none have been entrepreneurs, successful business people or won the lottery; instead they have simply been born.
I do not know all of the facts nor am I decided myself whether I believe in and thus fully support the monarchy, but somehow knowing that this two day old newborn baby boy has his entire future already decided and dictated by his genes and ancestry has had me thinking about my freedom to make my own decisions and choices. I am also left questioning the role that our Royals should play in society.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you support the monarchy, be that in the UK, Commonwealth or other countries? Should Royal families be merely ceremonial, or exist at all? I would love to hear your thoughts so please comment below.
JAM.
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