Kate Middleton and Prince William kept secret an important detail about Prince George before his…

Before Prince George made his grand entrance into the world, Prince William and Kate Middleton kept a special detail about their eldest child, and eventual heir to the British throne, under wraps. So what was the big secret?

While the royal couple eagerly anticipated the birth of their son, as did the rest of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, they remained tight-lipped about certain aspects, including his name and gender.

Prince George was eventually born on July 22, 2013, and in In the months leading up to his birth, royal watchers speculated about many things, including the baby’s gender. It was widely believed that the couple had chosen to keep the gender of their baby a secret.

But according to a royal expert, the reason for the shroud of secrecy surrounding the firstborn of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was all because the couple had yet to settle on a name for their little one.

Nicholl added, “Although Kate apparently suspected it was a boy,” Kate Nicholl told Vanity Fair. “And had her heart set on Alexander, they had not yet decided what to call their firstborn.”

Kate had an affectionate way of referring to her growing baby bump, often calling it “our little grape” while she was pregnant, a charming nickname that only added to the mystery surrounding their first child.

The announcement of Kate’s pregnancy came in December 2012, when she was dealing with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that also affected her in her subsequent pregnancies with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

But despite the challenges, Kate gave birth to George naturally at the Lindo Wing in London, where the royal family traditionally welcomes their babies and it didn’t take long for the now 11-year-old’s first appearance.

Prince George thrust into public stardom despite being hours old
When George was born, both Kate and William appeared on the hospital steps to proudly show off their newborn to the waiting photographers and journalists, shortly after William told his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, the happy news.

In a later interview, Kate shared her feelings about George’s birth during an appearance on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, recalling, “It was utterly extraordinary, actually. And he was very sweet. And also sort of relieved that he was happy, healthy boy.”

The birth of Prince George marked the beginning of a new chapter for the royal family. As the eldest child, George was poised to follow in his father’s footsteps as the future heir to the British throne and thus began to enjoy the limelight early.