Why have the papers become such crybabies about the royal baby?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to keep the birth of their child private. Cue all manner of pant-wetting from Her Majesty’s Press
It is a tradition perhaps as old as the British monarchy itself. Oh no, hang on – it’s a tradition as old as one generation of the British monarchy itself. But it is, of course, the tradition of royal couples emerging from the hospital with their new baby for a photocall with the armies of waiting media.
Actually, forgive me for interrupting myself again, but can it even be said to be a tradition at all if only about five royal couples have ever done it? If tradition is a numbers game, stretching back some significant distance into the rich and storied past, the hospital-steps photocall is infinitely less established than deeper royal traditions, such as attempting to acquire France or killing one’s relatives.