 |
| Kensington Palace sharing one of the first pictures of the Princess of Cambridge on Twitter. / Twitter |
*
* *
* *
It is no secret to anyone that this Saturday the Cambridges welcomed a little girl to their family. While her name remains secret until she meets her great-grandmother, the Queen, Royal Baby #2 has already made a overwhelming and cute first appearance which made the world fall instantly in love with the Sleeping Beauty.
When some people had no other choice than watching the news to see the face of this little new baby for the Kingdom, some other decided to gather in front of the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge had given birth of her first born, Prince George. This is what I did. And while journalists were treaded like superheroes with privileges, the rest of the crowd was not. This is why I have decided to present to you the reality of the Lindo-Wing wait for "normal people" in 10 points.
1 - Wait a few hours after the birth to get there.
This Saturday, the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted at 6:00am and gave birth 8:34am to her little girl. Even though she is a member of the royal family, Kate is a human being. There is no chance that she would leave the hospital too-soon after the birth. Between waiting at home for hours, being comfortable, and waiting standing outside, the choice is yours.
2 - Be nice to police officers.
This is the key-thing to do when standing at a rally, march, demonstration or public event. In an event like the birth of a royal baby, they kind of control it. If you are acting like a child, or like a very mean character, they have the power to make your day hell by putting you at the back of the line. So a little small-talks with them, a simple Please and Thank you here and there will make their day better, which may result with having them putting the barriers closer to the entrance.
3 - Be nice in general.
First of all, you should always be nice to people; that should not even be a rule, just common sense. However, in this particular situation, this is one of the most important points to follow. The people that are standing next to you will probably be next to you for the rest of the day. Be nice to them and they will be nice in return. Plus, you can create new contacts thanks to that.
4 - Be patient.
Your biggest strength in that kind of gathering, in that kind of long-wait days is to be patient. Even though your back is killing, your legs are becoming heavy for not moving for such a long time, your arms are aching for holding this camera, just remember there is a goal. Whether it is a personal goal (seeing the royal family) or professional (taking a picture of them), you are here for a reason and it will happen sooner or later. So just be patient. And think of the long warm shower you'll take once you're back home.
When some people had no other choice than watching the news to see the face of this little new baby for the Kingdom, some other decided to gather in front of the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge had given birth of her first born, Prince George. This is what I did. And while journalists were treaded like superheroes with privileges, the rest of the crowd was not. This is why I have decided to present to you the reality of the Lindo-Wing wait for "normal people" in 10 points.
1 - Wait a few hours after the birth to get there.
This Saturday, the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted at 6:00am and gave birth 8:34am to her little girl. Even though she is a member of the royal family, Kate is a human being. There is no chance that she would leave the hospital too-soon after the birth. Between waiting at home for hours, being comfortable, and waiting standing outside, the choice is yours.
 |
| Kensington Palace announcing the birth of the Princess of Cambridge. / Twitter |
 |
| Kensington Palace announcing the birth of the Princess of Cambridge. / Twitter |
2 - Be nice to police officers.
This is the key-thing to do when standing at a rally, march, demonstration or public event. In an event like the birth of a royal baby, they kind of control it. If you are acting like a child, or like a very mean character, they have the power to make your day hell by putting you at the back of the line. So a little small-talks with them, a simple Please and Thank you here and there will make their day better, which may result with having them putting the barriers closer to the entrance.
3 - Be nice in general.
First of all, you should always be nice to people; that should not even be a rule, just common sense. However, in this particular situation, this is one of the most important points to follow. The people that are standing next to you will probably be next to you for the rest of the day. Be nice to them and they will be nice in return. Plus, you can create new contacts thanks to that.
4 - Be patient.
Your biggest strength in that kind of gathering, in that kind of long-wait days is to be patient. Even though your back is killing, your legs are becoming heavy for not moving for such a long time, your arms are aching for holding this camera, just remember there is a goal. Whether it is a personal goal (seeing the royal family) or professional (taking a picture of them), you are here for a reason and it will happen sooner or later. So just be patient. And think of the long warm shower you'll take once you're back home.
 |
| Prince George meeting his sister, the Princess of Cambridge, for the first time. / Emilie Herman |
5 - Drinking is cheating.
"But drinking is so important in your life!". You can stay a couple of days without drinking, so a few hours won't kill you. Plus, you are next to a hospital and surrounded by an army of policemen. If something has to happen, you are at the right place to be taken care of. Why is drinking cheating? Well, if you drink too much, you will obviously want to go to the loo sooner or later. Unfortunately, once you leave the group, you can never come back to where you were and never ask to go back to your great spot at the front of the line. Being upfront of the line takes time. Think about that next time you are offered a coffee.
6 - Talk to the journalists.
Most of the journalists that are present have a badge on top of their press card to be able to have the best angle possible for their photos or footage. They have had free champagne and were later offered free coffee or tea. Once they leave to go to the bathroom, they come back to the same spot. This is heaven. But, on top of that, the Lindo Wing press office comes to them every so often to give them some information about any movements inside: when William is going to go out to get his son for example, or how it is going to happen when they leave. By being nice to journalists, they are nice to you in return. It means that they are sharing with you information so you can be as ready as them when something happens. How nice is that?
7 - Be technologically ready.
You have always thought of buying a portable charger but don't really know if it is a good idea? Let me tell you that it is. After waiting a few hours talking to your friends on Whatsapp, Facebook, Snapchat or other app, your smartphone is likely to die. If you are thinking of record the whole thing on your phone, a portable charger is a must. What about your camera? Coming back to the first point, you have a few hours between the moment you learn that the baby is born and the moment you get there. This is the key moment to charge all of your devices.
"But drinking is so important in your life!". You can stay a couple of days without drinking, so a few hours won't kill you. Plus, you are next to a hospital and surrounded by an army of policemen. If something has to happen, you are at the right place to be taken care of. Why is drinking cheating? Well, if you drink too much, you will obviously want to go to the loo sooner or later. Unfortunately, once you leave the group, you can never come back to where you were and never ask to go back to your great spot at the front of the line. Being upfront of the line takes time. Think about that next time you are offered a coffee.
6 - Talk to the journalists.
Most of the journalists that are present have a badge on top of their press card to be able to have the best angle possible for their photos or footage. They have had free champagne and were later offered free coffee or tea. Once they leave to go to the bathroom, they come back to the same spot. This is heaven. But, on top of that, the Lindo Wing press office comes to them every so often to give them some information about any movements inside: when William is going to go out to get his son for example, or how it is going to happen when they leave. By being nice to journalists, they are nice to you in return. It means that they are sharing with you information so you can be as ready as them when something happens. How nice is that?
7 - Be technologically ready.
You have always thought of buying a portable charger but don't really know if it is a good idea? Let me tell you that it is. After waiting a few hours talking to your friends on Whatsapp, Facebook, Snapchat or other app, your smartphone is likely to die. If you are thinking of record the whole thing on your phone, a portable charger is a must. What about your camera? Coming back to the first point, you have a few hours between the moment you learn that the baby is born and the moment you get there. This is the key moment to charge all of your devices.
8 - Remember than social media are your best friends.
Twitter, Facebook, even Instagram; these famous social media are your best friends. Instagram, because there is always someone closer to the entrance than you that have better info, aka Royal correspondents for big media who are in front of the entrance. Facebook for all of the online newspaper that you are following and are sharing information with the rest of the world, and you. And Twitter for official Royal family accounts such as Kensington Palace, but also for the media sharing information that you cannot have on your own. |
| Kensington Palace announcing that Prince George will not be present on the photo outside of the Lindo Wing. / Twitter |
 |
| Kensington Palace sharing the information that everyone was waiting for: The Duchess of Cambridge would not spend the night at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. / Twitter |
9 - Put a smile on your face.
No reason. Just because there is no need for you to be moody and that it can only be better with everyone being happy.
10 - Be ready.
There is being ready as the Royal fans who camped outside of the hospital for weeks, which we should all respect because none of us would be able to be that patient, and there is being ready. By that I mean that whenever you have all the information about the movements of the family (Range Rovers arriving in front of the hospital or journalists telling you that they will be out in about 15 minutes), get your camera out and ready to shoot. It will go so fast that you will not be able to see it other than through your lens. And you can't even ask for a rewind.
 |
| The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge presenting to the world the Princess of Cambridge. / Emilie Herman |
*
Once you follow all of these steps, not only should you experience a fun and enjoyable day, but you will be able to say "I was there". It may not mean a lot for a lot of people, but you know inside of you that it is actually a big deal. Be proud and happy - and don't forget to re-hydrate.
*
EDIT : The name of the Princess of Cambridge has just been revealed. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
*
Have a good day,
xx
