With Kate Middleton in labour, residents of her hometown of Bucklebury were preparing to celebrate the impending arrival of a future King or Queen, who they can claim has come from their picturesque village.Television crews and cameras from around the world descended upon the West Berkshire town and set up camp, in preparation for when the festivities start. As soon as the royal baby was delivered, photographers started snapping away to capture the moment when locals heard that Baby Cambridge was born.
The 2000-strong population were overcome with "a great deal of excitement," said a spokesperson for luxury interior design shop L Interiors, situated on Chapel Row.
The shop itself planned to celebrate the birth with champagne and by "popping some corks for its favourite customers".Pub landlord John Haley of The Old Boot Inn in nearby village Stanford Dingley also confirmed that the village were planning to have a "big party", and that celebrations hadalready begun prior to the birth of the little Prince, who arrived at 4:24pm on Monday afternoon.
Prince William and Kate visit the Bucklebury pub regularly and are said to come in and talk to the regulars.
It was clear that Kate's safety was the primary concern for all those that had had the privilege of meeting her. When asked about his personal preference towards the royal baby's gender, John, who attended the royal couple's wedding, admitted that, "it doesn't matter. As long as Kate, William and everyone are happy, that's all that matters. "Kate's former piano teacher and Bucklebury resident Daniel Nicholls has also expressed his excitement towards the news. "Once the baby is born, Bucklebury will take it in its stride that the future King or Queen of England will come from here," said Daniel. "It is a fantastic moment", said Hash Shingadia of Peaches Stores. "We wait with bated breath."
Bucklebury is no stranger to royal-related festivities. L Interiors revealed that during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in April 2011, champagne-fuelled celebrations spilled out onto the streets as cars drove by, tooting their horns.