1. There is a new royal birth today. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, gave birth to daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. She will automatically be titled "Princess", unlike her mother who isn't one, yet. The new baby will also be 4th in line to the throne. And, assuming the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince George all die, she'll become Queen. Even if William and Kate have another boy. The primogeniture laws were changed to allow the eldest daughter to inherit the throne if no older male heirs are alive.
2. Traditionally, the Home Secretary is required to attend the birth of a royal baby. It's to make sure there are no illegitimate babies smuggled into the room. However, the current Home Secretary, Theresa May, was not at the birth of Prince William and Kate's baby today, as the tradition was abandoned in 1948 when the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was born, as it's neither a statutory requirement, or a constitutional necessity.
3. The Home Secretary does have more responsibilities, though, apart from watching the baby pop out of the mother. They are required to notify officials such as the Lord Mayor of London and the Governors of Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man. The Queen's Private Secretary then informs overseas Governor Generals. Traditionally, an announcement of the new royal birth will also be posted at the front gates of Buckingham Palace, and the birth will be celebrated by a 41-gun salute. Don't be surprised if you also hear some Town Criers bellowing out the news. It's more than likely it'll be all over Twitter, too.
4. When Henry VIII was a wee little nipper, he had two official cradle rockers, Frideswide Puttenham and Margaret Draughton. It was actually quite a prestigious job back in the day, much like the royal bottom wiper, and whipping boy. The two rockers were paid £3 a year to sooth the not-yet chubby king-to-be.
5. When Queen Victoria was pregnant with her first born, she survived an assignation attempt by Edward Oxford in June 1840. She actually survived seven attempts on her life during her reign. Victoria wasn't what you would call keen on babies. In fact she loathed them. She is known to have said that the first few years of her married life were "utterly spoilt" by her pregnancies and the babies, and that her body was invaded by a parasite before splitting her open like a spear from a Zulu warrior. She also had it in for her youngest son right from the start. He had an ugly little face when he was born, according to Victoria. The poor kid.Click here for 5 Fun Facts About Heirs And Spares
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