Celebrations were held around the world this week to mark the eagerly awaited birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s son, George Alexander Louis, the third in line to the British throne. The prince was delivered after 12 hours of labor, weighing 8 pounds and 6 ounces. He appeared before the world the next day, swaddled in blankets, as Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, left a London hospital. “It’s very special,” said William to the waiting reporters. “He’s got more hair than me, and his mother’s looks, thankfully.” Prince George’s birth was marked with a series of gun salutes in London, while an official bulletin announcing the news was displayed at Buckingham Palace. The British economy was expected to enjoy a $380 million “baby bump” through a combination of celebratory spending and a tourism surge.
For America, too, the “Great Kate wait” is finally over, said Nick Bryant in BBC.com. For weeks, local networks throughout the U.S. replaced their thumping news anthems with “regal-sounding music,” while newspapers speculated endlessly over the baby’s name. Even the royal easel erected on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace became “an object of great fascination.” When Prince George’s arrival was finally announced on the big screen in New York City’s Times Square, the cheers were resounding.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will California's EV mandate survive Trump, SCOTUS challenge?Today's Big Question The Golden State's climate goal faces big obstacles
-
'Underneath the noise, however, there’s an existential crisis'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
2024: the year of distrust in scienceIn the Spotlight Science and politics do not seem to mix
-
The final fate of Flight 370feature Malaysian officials announced that radar data had proven that the missing Flight 370 “ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
-
The airplane that vanished
feature The mystery deepened surrounding the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
-
A drug kingpin’s capture
feature The world’s most wanted drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was captured by Mexican marines in the resort town of Mazatlán.
-
A mixed verdict in Florida
feature The trial of Michael Dunn, a white Floridian who fatally shot an unarmed black teen, came to a contentious end.
-
New Christie allegation
feature Did a top aide to the New Jersey governor tie Hurricane Sandy relief funds to the approval of a development proposal in the city of Hoboken?
-
A deal is struck with Iran
feature The U.S. and five world powers finalized a temporary agreement to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
-
End-of-year quiz
feature Here are 40 questions to test your knowledge of the year’s events.
-
Note to readers
feature Welcome to a special year-end issue of The Week.