10 Royal Baby Traditions You Might Not Know About

The palace announced the Duchess of Cambridge's third pregnancy at slightly earlier than 12 weeks since her morning sickness made her unable to appear at a scheduled event at Hornsey Road Children's Centre in September 2017.

Today, births are now announced on social media as soon as they happen, but the tradition of announcing the birth outside of Buckingham Palace on an easel still remains. The easel includes information about the gender and time of delivery.

An unofficial town crier also announces the birth. This tradition dates all the way back to medieval England when many were illiterate. Tony Appleton was the town crier for Princess Charlotte's birth.

Royals can have three to four first names but they don't officially have last names. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II took on the surname Mountbatten-Windsor for her children to distinguish her own line from the Windsor house. This last name is optional though, and the royal household rarely uses it.

The royal christening takes place several days to weeks after the birth, with the Head of the Church of England conducting the ceremony. The baby wears a traditional christening gown for the occasion, one that's been used for eight generations of royal babies. This is the first official appearance of the baby in public. In recent years, however, the royal couple makes a soft appearance with their baby when going home from St. Mary's Hospital.

Royals, just like the rest of the English public, need to register their birth with the government within 42 days.

For both George and Charlotte, Prince William received unpaid paternity leave from the Royal Air Force.