Why do we never see images of Queen Elizabeth II’s pregnancies?
The mum of four was one of the most photographed women in history, so why do we never see any images of Her Majesty pregnant?
In more recent times we’ve become so used to seeing the pregnancies of our favourite royals, that it’s not easy to imagine that it has not always been this way.
Those first glimpses of tiny new royals on the steps outside the hospital are also not a longstanding tradition, and to realise that we need only look back as far as the very beloved and dearly missed, Queen Elizabeth II.
As one of the most photographed women in the world, it might surprise you to know that her pregnancies were a very private affair. In fact, Her Majesty never even publicly announced a pregnancy, keeping formal announcements cryptic and mysterious.
After a string of love letters sent back and forth, Elizabeth and her military sweetheart, Prince Philip of Denmark and Greece, became engaged after the war, in 1947.
According to The New York Times, Buckingham Palace released a statement in 1948 which read, “Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth will undertake no public engagements after the end of June.”
The fact that Prince Charles made his arrival five months after this announcement proves that the 22-year-old, a Princess at the time, was actually pregnant at the time.
As for the well-known hospital step photos, which has become a tradition for royal parents today, including Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, those were also a no-show for the Queen.
Rather, the very young Prince Charles was kept indoors for a month. The first official photograph of him came on the day of his christening, on December 15th.
Imagine that happening these days?
Princess Elizabeth gave birth to her first child in 1948, a boy she named Prince Charles.
Why so private?
Queen Elizabeth II had four children – King Charles III, Prince Andrew (Duke of York), Anne (Princess Royal), and Prince Edward (Earl of Wessex).
There were no photos of Her Majesty in public on any palace grounds during the course of that first pregnancy in 1948. Things remained the same when she was pregnant three more times.
And it all has to do with the etiquette of royal pregnancies at that time.
Pregnancies were considered “taboo” back then, which is the reason many believe that none of the four pregnancies were flaunted in front of the public.
Elsewhere, the Queen reportedly despised the word “pregnant” and banned it from being used around because she found it “vulgar,” Joe reported.
Her Majesty reportedly urged people to refer to pregnant women as being “in the family way.”
Soon three other children followed, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
The hospital steps might have proven difficult for the Queen, who, in fact, delivered Charles by an emergency caesarean section at Buckingham Palace after labouring for 22 hours. Birthing at the Palace was a standard practice.
Princess Diana was the first royal who broke the tradition of giving birth at the palace when Prince William was delivered at a hospital in 1982.
According to Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton the steps photo was borne out of a need to please the press, as she said, “I couldn’t handle the press pressure any longer, it was becoming unbearable. It was as if everybody was monitoring every day for me.”
Oh how times have changed!
