by Sara Howard
Unless you’ve been living on the moon for the past couple of weeks no doubt your daily news intake, social media feeds and general conversations will have been full with news of the arrival of Prince George Alexander Louis.
Here at Popcorn HQ we’ve been following it closely (I’d just like to add I won the wager for predicting that the new Royal would be a boy!) and not just because current news is a staple to our daily jobs but because like most people it makes a welcome change for current affairs to be of a happier and celebratory note.
All too often by the time we’ve even consumed our first coffee of the day we’ve heard a huge amount of doom and gloom from around the world which, whilst is important to hear, it still doesn’t make for the most uplifting read.
It’s all too easy to take our own monarchy for granted, it’s a way of British life and I like many, am probably guilty of not listening as much as I should have in my history lessons but when occasions like this happen I think it’s hard for one not to feel a real sense of patriotism and pride.
The global obsession (for want of a better word) really hit home when I was travelling around America for six months in 2010 – we were across the pond when the Royal Wedding took place and to be honest before we left I really hadn’t given it much thought that we would be away for it. A week or so before hand as my Facebook and Twitter feeds became more and more Regal centric I began to feel a creeping sensation of disappointment that I wouldn’t be in my British Homeland for the occasion. The reaction to the Royal Wedding in the US was absolutely phenomenal. In the days leading up to it and afterwards if someone realised you were British they absolutely had to speak to you and wanted to hear everything you knew about it – it really was lovely to witness the sheer excitement and genuine happiness that people felt towards this fairytale couple and the realisation that this really was a true story of an ‘ordinary’ girl becoming a princess.
As the day itself arrived the alarm was set for 4am and Bacon Sandwiches were at the ready to witness this landmark event – and it certainly wasn’t a disappointment. Seeing all of the London landmarks from our small laptop set up in our RV in the depths of Michigan definitely brought on a few pangs of homesickness but it really was one of the most enthralling bits of TV I’ve ever watched.
From an industry point of view there is no doubt that the Royal birth has opened up huge and endless opportunities for individuals, companies and brands – some expectedly and others much more surprising. I read only the other day that the maternity dress Kate Middleton was seen in last (albeit from a quick glance as she rode in the back of a car) has now completely sold out due to customer demand so too has the swaddling blanket that was used when Kate and William first presented Prince George to the world. The power of ‘fame’ and in this instance Royal fame never ceases to amaze me and I have a feeling that the Royal Baby effect is going to continue momentum for quite a while yet – and why shouldn’t it.
As for the PRs who are competing with over 22,000 Royal Baby stories over the past few weeks, suffice to say if yours had landed then that’s a very well deserved drink!