When then princess Elizabeth was born in 1926, her father was still the Duke of York—with no hint he’d ever be king. After Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, 10-year-old Elizabeth would become the next in line. She’s seen here at her christening, when she was about one month old.
In a formal portrait when she was a bit older, Princess Elizabeth grabs onto the pearls she’s wearing with her formal baby gown. The Duchess of York looks intently over her shoulder.
When Queen Elizabeth became a mother in 1948, she was just 22 years old—Charles was born almost exactly a year after she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, although, controversially, Charles legally took Elizabeth’s Windsor surname and not his father’s (Mountbatten). He was just five weeks old when this photograph was taken.
At the time of Prince Charles’s christening, the gatherings were stiffer and quite formal—for this portrait, the family gathered in Buckingham Palace’s music room. Above Elizabeth, Prince Philip stands next to King George VI.
Though much has been made of Elizabeth and Philip’s various absences during Charles’s childhood, they had their share of fun—the trio is shown here in July of 1949, all having a laugh.
And in proof that parenting trends have changed over the years, Charles—in November 1950—watches a procession of visiting Netherlandish royals from a rail-less ledge.
By 1951, Charles had a sibling—younger sister Princess Anne, who is amused by Prince Philip’s chin in this summertime family photo.
In July of 1981, Prince Charles married blushing virgin Diana Spencer, wedded just days after her 20th birthday. Di quickly became pregnant with their first child, Prince William. And because pregnancy is no excuse for missing royal functions, Diana is seen here in a pink shirtdress on the outskirts of the Guards Club in Windsor while Charles plays in a polo match.
Less than a year after their wedding date—just like Elizabeth and Philip before them—Charles and Diana greeted the throngs outside St. Mary’s Hospital in London with their new son, William Arthur Philip Louis, on June 21, 1982.
Prince William’s official christening, six weeks after his birth, was a less starchy affair than that of Charles, all regal poses and smile-less faces. In this Buckingham Palace photo of the family after the ceremony, Diana beams at William while the Queen Mother (right) and Queen Elizabeth (left) flank her. Prince Charles and Prince Philip are above.
The Queen Mother outdoes even Diana in enthusiasm, though, with this rollicking smile, holding her great-grandson at his christening in August of 1982. As it happened, Prince William’s christening took place on her 82nd birthday.
By December, six-month-old William had become adorably pudgy, and Prince Charles holds him for a photograph at Kensington Palace. Diana and Charles shared an apartment at “K.P.,” where Will and Kate will soon reside.
Prince William was not yet one when he went on his first royal tour, to Auckland, New Zealand. On the grounds of the city’s Government House, doting mother Diana helps him practice his stride.
Just over two years after William’s birth, Henry Charles Albert David—to be known simply as Harry—was born to Diana and Charles, who presented him on September 1, 1984. Outside St. Mary’s, crowds with British flags and cameras again lined the streets to welcome the new prince.
Disembarking from a plane at Aberdeen, Princess Diana carries her younger son, Harry—bundled up in an adorable snow-white sweater, booties, and hat—as she arrives in Scotland’s chilly December air.
William and Harry remain close, and at one point even dressed alike: they are playing here together (in fittingly British baby tattersall) in Kensington Palace’s playroom, where year-old Harry is learning to walk.
Former school teacher Diana, known as a warm and caring mother above all else, oversaw the boys’ early education and activities–here she is “instructing” them in piano. Harry has just finished playing a little Liszt.
Fewer than 30 years after showing Harry how to walk in K.P.’s apartment, Prince William stands proudly with his wife, pregnant with their own child. Their son or daughter is due sometime next year—let the feverish frenzy begin.
This story was originally published by Vanity Fair
via USAHint.com
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