Onlookers, packed on to the sidelines to witness the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the christening of Princess Charlotte at Sandringham on Sunday, might have wondered what thunderous vessel was making its way towards them. Flanked by the proud parents – in the family’s first public outing since Charlotte’s arrival in May – the machine resembled a moderately-sized warship on wheels before it finally chugged into full view ... revealing itself to be none other than the family pram. We wouldn’t fancy struggling with that on the N96 bus.
Previously used by the Queen at the christening of her own sons, the pram is a prize model by the very expensive (and now defunct) brand Millsons. It had, we are assured, been carefully refurbished since it carried the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex in the early 60s. Yet heads will surely roll after it emerged that the iconic Millsons was bastardised by the erroneous addition of knobs by still-existent British-made Silver Cross. They designed a vintage-style pram for Prince George, with special additions including a mosquito net, to the tune of £1,600; however, in a great act of treachery, their favourite customer is known to have purchased a somewhat more nimble “Chameleon” model from the Dutch kings of the high street, Bugaboo (for a mere £1,200).
It wasn’t just the chosen mode of transport that caused a stir. Having demonstrated their modern parenting prowess in the past – the baby shower; William’s two-week paternity leave, for which he received a weekly sum of £136.78 from the taxpayer – speculation over the parents’ choice of outfit for the occasion had been rife. Alas, the future king of England shied away from ripped white jeans – as favoured by Kanye West at his daughter North’s Armenian baptism a few months previously – opting for a navy suit. Thankfully, the children’s Norland nanny made an effort, demonstrating indefatigable girl-guide spirit, by arriving dressed as a turn-of-the-century Brown Owl.
