Latest royal meets great-granny

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

(CNS): The latest addition to the royal family had her first audience with the queen Tuesday at Kensington Palace. Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, who was born on Saturday, is fourth in line to the throne behind her brother, her dad and her granddad, met her great-grandmother, who still holds the job, when she came to visit the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s second child.
The birth of the latest royal stole the headlines in the UK this weekend from the election just days before the UK voters go to the polls on Thursday in the most unpredictable election race in modern history.

The new princess has already been lavished with gifts from around the world, including a rare possum sanctuary from the Australian government and a pair of sealskin moccasins from the Canadian Monarchist League. A Lego figure of Princess Charlotte has been added to the Buckingham Palace model at Legoland in Windsor and more than 7,000 official souvenir mugs are being produced in Stoke-on-Trent to mark the birth.

Meanwhile, bookies across the UK paid out around $1.5 million on Monday to gamblers who got the princess’s names right. Charlotte was the most popular bet since the birth and odds were slashed to 3/1 from 6/1.

“We may have lost a fortune but we’re paying out with a smile and wish the duke and duchess all the best,” said Jessica Bridge, a spokeswoman for Ladbrokes.

The royal baby was born on Saturday 2 May in London’s St Mary’s Hospital, weighing 8lbs 3oz. She will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.