Smooth operator! Prince William hardly hesitated at all the first time he had to put his son, Prince George, into a car seat outside the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital back in 2013. And he seemed even more comfortable today, May 2, putting his newborn baby daughter, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, into the seat.
In fact, he snapped it into place so quickly that he felt confident enough to turn and joke with reporters. “Two out of two!” he quipped of his track record before getting into the driver’s seat and rolling away toward Kensington Palace.
Saturday was a big day for the Duke of Cambridge, as he and Duchess Catherine welcomed their second child together. The two checked into the hospital just 12 hours before making their big debut with the little princess, who follows older brother Prince George, 21 months, in the line of succession to the British throne.
Looking as stylish and poised as ever — 10 hours after giving birth, no less — Middleton emerged from the Lindo Wing in a yellow and white buttercup-print dress by Jenny Packham, paired with nude pumps and her signature bouncy blowout. (As Us Weekly reported earlier in the day, her stylist, Amanda Cook Tucker, was seen arriving on the scene a few hours prior.)
William, for his part, wore a white collared shirt and blue sweater, which coordinated with George’s outfit from that afternoon. He and his wife posed for several photos before retreating inside again to tie up any loose ends. When they came out again a few minutes later, the Duke was carrying the Princess of Cambridge in her car seat.
Recalling his first go-round outside the Lindo Wing in an interview with Business Insider a few weeks after George’s 2013 birth, the second-in-line to the throne admitted he’d practiced putting the car seat in the car behind closed doors before attempting it in front of reporters and photographers.
“Believe me, it wasn’t my first time. And I know there’s been speculation about that,” he shared. “I had to practice, I really did. I was terrified that I was gonna do something — you know, it was gonna fall off or it wasn’t going to close properly. So I had actually practiced.”
He continued: “I’m as independent as I want to be…I very much feel, if I can do it myself, I want to do it myself…I think driving your son and your wife away from hospital was really important to me. And I don’t like fuss, so it was much easier to do it [myself].”
The car seat he used — and seems to be using again, based on pics — is by the company BRITAX, which released a statement in 2013 about the brand’s royal connection.
“BRITAX, as a British brand and the leader in child travel safety, are delighted and honored to hear that the Prince of Cambridge is making his first journey in one of our infant carriers,” they said at the time. “We send our warmest wishes of health and happiness to TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they begin their exciting journey into parenthood.”