ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – On Monday, Duchess Kate gave birth to Prince William’s first child at a London hospital. The baby boy, whose name has not yet been released, is the UK’s first royal heir to be born in 31 years.
At Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, parents and their newborns joined in on the fun with some royal pomp and circumstance of their own.
At less than six pounds, Michaela Black entered the world just one minute after the new Prince of Cambridge. “We were talking about her being born on the same day as Kate’s, and I’m like, I know it’s gonna happen, I know it’s gonna happen, and it did! It’s very exciting,” says Emily Hawkins, Michaela’s proud new mother.
To take the majestic merriment to the next level, Barnes Jewish Hospital nurses dressed each newborn in a prince or princess onesie. New mom Arlanda Boyd is glad that her daughter gets to share some of the spotlight: “I watched the news and was like oh wow, Skylyr, uh, you got some competition. The prince is born.”
Adding to the royal treatment, the hospital partnered with the London Tea Room in downtown St. Louis to deliver tea and British sweets to each of the proud new parents.
The British mother and daughter team concocted a special white tea for the occasion, called the HRH Cambridge. London Tea Room Co-owner Jackie James explains, “It’s like the bud of the tea, so you kind of think of baby, and then white tea was of course reserved for royalty many years back in China.”
For these transplanted Brits, the historic birth means quite a bit. James says, “This is like the real deal. When William eventually gives up the throne or passes away, this baby is going to be the King of England.” Her mother, Pat Richardson, adds, “We’re very excited, I wish I were there.”
New father Tyler Black says the coincidental timing of the two births wasn’t lost on family and friends. Referring to Emily, he jokes, “They’re asking if the queen has been interviewed yet or how she’s doing.”
As for his daughter Michaela and the little prince? Maybe the stars were aligned.
“We have plans to go over and travel over there, so hopefully we’ll get to set up some play dates with him,” Black jokes, “maybe some royal family mixing here.”
Barnes Jewish wasn’t the only hospital to honor infants born on this special day. Newborns at St. Anthony’s Medical Center wore crocheted crowns. And in the United Kingdom, babies born on July 22, 2013 will receive a commemorative silver coin from the Royal Mint.
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