Today it seems normal to us that the father is present during the birth of his baby, but more than half a decade ago it was something very unusual, as if the arrival into the world of a child conceived by two people was an act that only concerned to the woman.
Nor was it for royalty, but Queen Elizabeth II was the first of British royalty , and most likely one of the first in the modern world, to request that her husband Philip of Edinburgh be present at the birth of their fourth child , Edward, back in the 60’s.
Prince Felipe was present at the birth of his fourth child
“The Duke of Edinburgh was holding his wife’s hand when their youngest child was born.” This is revealed by the journalist Ingrid Seward in the book My Husband and I: The Inside Story Of 70 Years Of Royal Marriage (in Spanish, My husband and I: The whole truth of the marriage of Elizabeth II and Philip of Edinburgh) , and adds that The queen, then 37 years old, had asked Felipe to be there with her this time .
She was a very knowledgeable woman and had been reading magazines at the time that emphasized the importance of involving parents in childbirth and was fascinated by the idea. Thus Philip became the first royal father in modern history to witness the arrival of one of his sons .
The British press announced the birth highlighting the fact: “His Majesty the Duke of Edinburgh was present”
Happy Birthday to the Earl of Wessex!
He was born #OTD in 1964: https://t.co/TbOH89PvVU pic.twitter.com/WlrAupA8ww
— The Gazette (@TheGazetteUK) March 10, 2020
Decades ago, the role of the father was to wait outside the delivery room, nervous, until he heard the cry of the baby announcing his birth. Fortunately, that has been left behind and more and more, the father has an active role of physical and emotional support for the mother in such a special moment for the three of them.
The other births of Queen Elizabeth II
The birth of her youngest son was very different from the previous ones. Prince Charles was born on the night of November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace. She came into the world by cesarean section after 30 hours of labor. She was only 22 years old.
It was later learned that Prince Philip was awaiting the birth of his son while playing squash with his private secretaries in another area of the palace.
Princess Anne was born on August 15, 1950 at Clarence House due to the palace being renovated after the war.
Ten years later, on February 19, 1960, Prince Andrew was born at Buckingham Palace. As shown in the series The Crown had a “twilight birth”; the Queen was given general anesthesia for labor and the baby was delivered with the help of forceps.
