Kate Middleton Wasn’t Allowed to Tell Her Parents When Prince George Was Born

Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed their first child, Prince George, way back in 2013. Since then, George has started to make more and more public appearances, meaning he will soon learn the ropes of the British royal protocol (protocol that, to some, has caused controversy through the years).

But it turns out George was at the center of royal protocol the moment he was born — Kate Middleton was reportedly forced to hide the birth of her first son from her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.

Kate Middleton wasn’t allowed to tell her parents when Prince George was first born

To Kate, George’s birth was likely the most memorable moment in her life. Kate and William wed back in 2011, and they spent a little more than a year adjusting to married life — and royal life as a married couple — before Kate learned she was expecting her first child. Kate and William welcomed George in July 2013, but the moment her son was born, she wasn’t yet allowed to tell her parents.

Due to royal protocol, Kate had to wait to tell her mother and father about their first grandchild until the late Queen Elizabeth was informed. At the time, the queen had to be the first to know because, according to Express, royal protocol says that whenever a new monarch is born, the current monarch must know before anyone else. With that said, Kate had to press pause on telling her own parents until word got back to Queen Elizabeth. It’s likely that the queen was on standby waiting to hear the news of George’s birth, so Kate probably didn’t have to wait long to tell her mom and dad — and the rest of her family, including her brother and sister, likely learned shortly after as well.

Now, of course, that’s also assuming Carole wasn’t present in the delivery room, which is something nobody knows; it’s possible her mother was there with her at George’s birth. In which case, it was only her father who had to wait to learn the news.

Kate Middleton’s parents didn’t have to wait to learn of Charlotte and Louis’ births

While things with George were extremely serious in terms of following royal protocol, the births of both Charlotte and Louis didn’t quite have the same demands. That’s because neither Charlotte nor Louis are officially heirs to the throne, so their births didn’t require the same protocol. Sure, the queen might have still been the first to know since she probably expected that, but Kate was likely allowed to tell her parents without hesitation for her other two kids.

The royal rules have come under fire in recent years, specifically when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in the royal family. Harry claimed that protocol was the reason the royals wouldn’t come to Meghan’s defense over the bullying accusations, which ultimately led to rising tensions; Harry and Meghan later left the royal family. And to some, it might seem odd that Kate wasn’t able to choose who first learned of her son’s birth, considering it should have been up to her. But unfortunately for some, the royal family has continued to stick by most of their etiquette and protocols for years, and for the most part, William and Kate don’t seem to mind that too much.