Samantha Markle urges Meghan to ‘reach out’ after birth of royal baby

Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister Samantha insists that the Duchess should repair ties with her father’s side of the family, now that she has welcomed her firstborn with Prince Harry.

Samantha, 54, lives in Virginia and reacted to the news on Daily Mail TV on Tuesday, May 7.

She said she was “excited” for the new member of the family, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

“What I think is incredible is that it’s a great moment historically and although the adults have a lot of water under the bridge, I would really like to see everyone reach out,” she said. “We’ve extended the olive branch and now it is Meghan’s turn.”

Last October, Samantha appeared on British talk show “Jeremy Vine,” where she claimed that she and Meghan last spoke to each other three years, and not a decade, before.

“We’re all welcoming the baby—Markles, Raglands, Sussexes, Windsors,” she said. “In terms of the gene pool, we’ve all made a contribution to this wonderful little boy who will probably grow up to be an exceptional man and we’d like to treat this as if we’re all a big family.”

She said she would like to meet him, explaining, “It would be nice not to react to what we’ve heard in the news but to personally meet him and let him judge us for himself.”

“We’re excited for Meg and Harry—I am really excited for her. I love her, she’s my baby sister and it doesn’t matter what we’ve all said back and forth but she’s got to do the right thing,” she said.

“I just want to say Meg, you’ve got a world here and family here [in the US] that’s excited for you.”

She said she hoped Meghan could include her father Thomas Markle Sr. in his grandchild’s life. The Duchess and her father’s relationship frayed prior to her 2018 wedding when he was found to have staged paparazzi photos.

“I want Meg to be part of his life, I want Meg to be able to share this beautiful time with him in whatever way she can,” said Samantha.

“I think it’s important for her too. I hope something sticks with her—that she decided to do the right thing for my dad. Life is short and we’re family. I hope she decides to do the right thing this time.”

Last January, Samantha said she would release a tell-all about her relationship with Meghan in a two-part book titled “In the Shadows of the Duchess.”

In her private Twitter account, she has been known to make defamatory comments to her sister and the royal family. For instance, in January, she claimed that Meghan must have gotten a surrogate.

Following the news of the royal baby, Thomas Markle Sr. issued a statement from his Mexico home, as per the Daily Mail on Tuesday.

“I’m delighted to hear that mother and child are doing well. I am proud that my new grandson is born into the British royal family and I am sure that he will grow up to serve the crown and the people of Britain with grace, dignity and honour,” he said.

“GOD bless the child and I wish him health and happiness, and my congratulations to my lovely daughter Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry, and GOD save the Queen.”

In February, friends of Meghan anonymously told People that she tried to reach out to her father after her wedding. However, Thomas requested that their reconciliation come with a photo op, which put off Meghan because she did not want the media involved in their private issues.  Niña V. Guno /ra

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

William and Kate show off royal baby boy

LONDON—Britain’s Prince William, his wife Kate and their newborn baby son were spending their first day at home as a family Wednesday, a day after the royal couple showed off the future monarch to the world.

A smiling Kate told the massed ranks of international media on Tuesday that motherhood was “very emotional”, while William said they were still choosing a name and revealed that he had already changed the baby’s nappy.

The new third-in-line to the throne raised a tiny hand above his white blankets but remained peaceful, despite deafening cheers from well-wishers and the shouts of photographers outside St Mary’s Hospital in London.

Special time

“It’s a special time,” said the 31-year-old Duchess of Cambridge, who was wearing a cornflower-blue dress with her brunette hair loose. “I think any new parent would know what this feeling feels like.”

The duke, also 31, told reporters that “he’s got her looks, thankfully” as Kate playfully demurred, then added: “He’s got a good pair of lungs on him, that’s for sure”.

The royal baby’s birth at 4:24pm (1524 GMT) on Monday sparked a global media frenzy, fuelled by the fascination that has surrounded the couple ever since they married in April 2011.

The first photographs of Britain’s new prince dominated newspaper front pages on Wednesday, with the sapphire ring formerly belonging to William’s late mother Diana conspicuous on the hand of new mother Kate.

Many of the papers, including the Daily Mirror, the Daily Mail and the Times, carried a picture of the day-old baby apparently waving to the throng of photographers and well-wishers on Tuesday.

First royal wave

“Baby’s first royal wave” said the Daily Mail’s “magical picture souvenir” edition, while the Daily Mirror ran a similar headline: “Royal wave? I’ve cracked it mom.”

The Daily Telegraph argued that the birth had secured the monarchy “for another century at least.”

Congratulations have poured in from around the globe for the baby, a great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, who is set to one day reign over Britain and the Commonwealth realms around the world.

The Duchess initially held the baby as the royal couple emerged from the front door of the hospital’s exclusive Lindo Wing, before passing him to her husband, who was dressed in a blue shirt and jeans.

The scene was reminiscent of when William was introduced to the world by his parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana outside the same hospital wing in 1982.



Balding William joked that, despite the baby boy’s own thin wisps of hair, “he’s got way more than me, thank God”.

Hands-on royal dad

Asked about changing the nappies of his son, who weighed in at a healthy eight pounds six ounces (3.8 kilograms) when he was born, the prince said: “We’ve done that already”.

“He’s done his first nappy already,” added Kate.

The traditional names George and James have been favored by bookmakers as fit for a king, but the royal couple gave nothing away.

“We are still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can,” William said.

After speaking briefly to the press, the royal couple re-emerged from the hospital with their son in a car seat, which William secured in their vehicle before driving his new family back to their home at Kensington Palace.

Kate’s sister Pippa was reportedly waiting for them there.

Enduring appeal

Hordes of journalists had camped outside the hospital for three weeks waiting for the baby, testament to the enduring appeal of the British monarchy and particularly the glamorous William and Kate.

Cannon fire salutes rang out on Tuesday at the Tower of London and Green Park in celebration of the royal birth, while the bells at the 11th century Westminster Abbey pealed across the capital for three hours.

The couple had earlier received their first visitors when Kate’s parents Michael and Carole Middleton, self-made millionaires who run a party supplies business, arrived at the hospital in a humble black London taxi.

“He’s absolutely beautiful. They’re both doing very well and we’re so thrilled,” a beaming grandmother Carole said afterwards.

Charles arrived around two hours later with his second wife Camilla in a chauffeur-driven limousine.

“Marvelous, thank you very much, absolutely wonderful,” said Charles.

At Buckingham Palace, crowds straining for a glimpse of the official birth announcement on a gold easel in the forecourt were treated to a special edition of the Changing the Guard ceremony featuring the Cliff Richard song “Congratulations”.

His Royal Highness

The baby will be titled His Royal Highness, Prince (name) of Cambridge — the blank to be filled in when his name is announced.

William’s name was not announced for a week, while the world had to wait a whole month when Charles was born in 1948.

It is the first time since 1894 that three direct heirs to the throne have been alive at the same time. The 87-year-old Queen said she was “delighted” at the birth of her third great-grandchild, reportedly telling a guest at a palace function that “the first-born is very special”.

William and Kate are hugely popular and have been widely credited with revitalizing the British royals following decades of scandal and the death of William’s mother Diana in a car crash in 1997.

US President Barack Obama led the international messages of congratulations, which also poured in from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Israel, Japan and Singapore.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

A name for Baby Cambridge: William and Kate’s big decision

LONDON — Prince William and his wife Kate have yet to announce a name for their new newborn son — but bookmakers have tipped George and James as likely contenders for Britain’s new third in line to the throne.

Choosing a name can be agonizing for any new parents, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are burdened with the added knowledge that their child’s name is headed for the history books.

Experts say the couple are guaranteed to plunder William’s illustrious family tree in picking a name for the little prince, but will settle on one that is in keeping with their image as “modern” royals.

“I do think that Prince William is quite a traditionalist — that’s my feeling,” said Charles Kidd, editor of the Debrett’s genealogical guide to the British aristocracy.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they use a name that is already familiar in the royal family — something that has royal associations.”

But royal-watchers may have a while to wait for the big announcement.

William’s name was not revealed until a week after his birth in 1982 — and when Charles was born in 1948, the wait lasted an entire month.

There was “no news on names” on Tuesday, a royal official said.

“The royal family quite like to do things slowly,” said Kidd.

“It’s quite dignified to have a bit of breathing space between the birth and the announcement of the name.”

But he added: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seem very organized. I would be surprised if it took them longer than a week.”

The royal family tree is full of boys’ names still popular among British parents today, including George, James, William and Richard — but there are also plenty that have gone out of fashion, such as Ethelred or Athelstan.

Bookmakers have been doing a roaring trade in bets on the baby’s name.

The majority of punters will now be cursing after putting money on a girl’s name — Irish bookmakers Paddy Power said around 60 percent of gamblers had guessed the baby would be female.

But there is still time to win back their losses if they pick the lucky boy’s name.

George is now the Paddy Power favorite at 6/4 followed by James (11/4), Alexander (7/2) and Louis (8/1).

But James, the name of Kate’s brother, is the “red-hot” favorite with Ladbrokes, although the odds on Henry — the formal name of William’s brother Prince Harry — have been slashed from 50/1 to 5/1.

At the other end of the spectrum, Wayne is trading at 250/1 — although a bet was earlier placed on Kai, the name of footballer Wayne Rooney’s son, at 1000/1.

There have been six British king Georges, including the current queen’s father George VI, whose story was brought to life in the Oscar-winning 2010 film “The King’s Speech.”

Royal experts say the name emphasizes the continuity of the monarchy, while it also seems modern — it was the 9th most popular choice for baby boys born in 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics.

James is more problematic. There have been two British kings with the name, the second of whom was deposed in 1688 after he sparked a constitutional crisis with his pro-Catholic policies.

Other names also have unlucky royal connotations — there was the so-called “bad” king John who ruled from 1199 to 1216, while William’s father Charles, heir to the throne, bears the name of Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649.

The royal naming game is made more complicated by the fact that by tradition, British princes have a string of middle names.

Edward VIII was among the unluckiest in this regard — his full name was Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, the last four after the patron saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

His family called him simply David.

William has three middle names: Philip after his grandfather, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip; Arthur, like the legendary 5th century British king; and Louis after Philip’s uncle Louis Mountbatten, who was Charles’s mentor.

When William was born, it was rumored that his mother Princess Diana wanted to call him Sebastian or Oliver, while his father preferred Albert.

Ultimately, if Baby Cambridge is not keen on his name, he can always change it later — all monarchs are free to choose a new name once they rise to the throne. The queen’s father was called prince Albert before reigning as George VI.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Where’s that royal baby? Is Kate overdue?

LONDON — By the time you’re reading this, the Duchess of Cambridge could be in labor. Or it could be a matter of hours. Or days. Or weeks.

As Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Kate, await the birth of their first child — and the future heir to the English throne — some are convinced the royal due date has already passed, even though Buckingham Palace has not given an exact date. Many in the British media predicted the baby would be born last week and the prince himself is now on official leave.

Dozens of reporters have already staked out the central London hospital where Kate is expected to give birth. The palace has said only that the Duchess is due to deliver the baby in “mid-July.”

But experts say there’s no reason to think that the baby is actually overdue; due dates are at best an educated guess and come with a margin of error of two to three weeks.

“The baby will come when he or she is ready,” said Janet Fyle, a midwife and professional policy adviser at Britain’s Royal College of Midwives. She said the due date is calculated from the first day of the woman’s last period. Then add seven days, plus nine months. “But nature is the primary determinant (of the due date) and we can’t do anything to change that,” Fyle said.

An ultrasound done around weeks 11 to 12 of the pregnancy can also give women a better idea of when exactly to get the nursery ready, she said. A head measurement at that point is a better indicator of age than later in pregnancy.

For healthy pregnant women, as the Duchess of Cambridge appears to be, Fyle said they shouldn’t worry if they haven’t given birth by their predicted due date. Many things can delay birth, including the baby’s head being in the wrong spot. “It may just take the baby awhile to get into the right position before he or she is ready to come out,” she said.

Normal pregnancies last about 40 weeks, though 3 to 12 percent of women in the U.K. go beyond that term. After 41 to 42 weeks, doctors may consider inducing labor. Doctors or midwives typically induce labor with medications or other methods; it may still take one to two days for contractions to start.

“There is a risk as the pregnancy goes on that the placenta may not work as well,” said Dr. Daghni Rajasingam, a spokeswoman for Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She said that could compromise the baby’s growth and oxygen supply. For women who don’t want to have an induced labor, even if they are beyond 40 weeks, Rajasingam said extra scans to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and movement would be necessary.

In Britain, about 25 percent of all births are cesarean sections, versus 30 percent in the U.S. In 2011, Britain’s health watchdog decided women should be able to get a C-section on demand under the free health care service, though there is no indication whether the Duchess of Cambridge has requested one in the private wing of the hospital where she is expected to deliver.

Although the Duchess of Cambridge was hospitalized last December for severe morning sickness, Rajasingam said there’s no reason to think she might have a more difficult labor.

Pregnant women are also advised to keep as active as possible even after their due date passes.

Rajasingam also said women having their first baby, as in the case of the Duchess, typically have a longer pregnancy than with subsequent children, though scientists aren’t exactly sure why. “It’s like a racehorse on a track,” she said. “For a horse that hasn’t run the race before, it can take a little bit longer if you’re not used to it,” she said.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net