As the tiny new Princess Charlotte of Cambridge made her debut on the steps of the Lindo Wing - sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms - many royal watchers thought back to the moment Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, presented Prince George to the world.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Charlotte of Cambridge was born on 2 May
The little future King had made his entrance just 21 months previously, to initial higher levels of excitement and fanfare, as befitting of the future heir and first-born child of the Duke and Duchess.However, once royal fans were given the news the new arrival was a girl, Twitter went into overdrive. The social network site recorded 1.1 million #royalbaby tweets for the new Princess, while her big brother's birth generated the lesser amount of 900,000.
VIDEO: Watch the moment Prince William and Kate left the hospital with their baby daughter
However social media experts have indicated that the difference in the number of tweets could be down to the fact that Twitter has more users today than it did in 2013.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe royal couple took Prince George home on the 23 July 2013
Tourism is expected to be on the rise too. VisitLondon estimates the British capital will welcome nearly 32 million UK and overseas tourists this year - about 10 per cent up on the 29.1 million total achieved in the year Prince George was born.Despite the huge interest in their little girl, named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, William and Kate were keen for her exit to be a more informal and less drawn-out affair than her brother's. Her birth was announced directly to Twitter rather than going first to the media via press release.This time round there was no question and answer session with reporters who had assembled outside the maternity wing at St Mary's hospital in Paddington, and the time the couple spent posing for pictures was much shorter. There was no photo op with William holding the new baby, as was the case with George in 2013.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince George returned to the Lindo Wing 21 months after he was born at the same hospital
Instead, William took Kate's hand and helped her down the stairs, and after a few minutes in front of the flashbulbs, the couple went back inside to put their sleeping baby into a car seat and say their goodbyes to the staff, who during George's exit had lined the Lindo Wing steps, making for something of a formal send off.
Of course, the couple's swift exit on Saturday could partly be down to the chilly May temperatures – which were much colder than the mild July climate which welcomed Prince George.
The cold meant that the Princess was dressed in a bonnet to accompany the blanket by GH Hurt and Son Ltd – the same company that were behind the blanket George made his way home in. This meant that royal watchers couldn't get a good look at the new baby's head, so see if there was any evidence she might take after her mum and grow up to have luscious brunette locks.
© Photo: Getty ImagesBoth newborns wore blankets by GH Hurt and Son Ltd as they left the hospital
When George made his debut – sleeping all the while just like his little sister did during hers – it was clear from his bare head he had blond colouring, and would take after his dad in that way.As is often the case with second children, Kate's labour was much faster with the Princess. She laboured for just over two hours after being admitted at 6am on Saturday morning, and left hospital some ten hours later.Since George was her first child, the medical team at the Lindo Wing no doubt wanted to take their time to make sure the new mum had established feeding and was fully confident enough to leave. After an 11-hour labour and an overnight stay, the new family left at around 6pm the day after George's July 22 birthday.
Kate's admission and the baby's birth were announced on Twitter
For both exits the Duchess chose a flattering dress by Jenny Packham – one of her favourite designers. Fans of her style were floored by her appearance this time around, with many saying there was absolutely no evidence of the tiredness some had noted in her face as she left with Prince George.Perhaps more confident this time around in the task of carrying a baby while wearing heels, Kate paired her buttercup-print dress with nude stiletto heels, rather than the wedges she wore with the blue polka dot shift dress in 2013.The constant between the two baby debuts, however, was the look of joy on the faces of the parents as they presented the newest member of the British royal family. And just as George had 21 months earlier, the sweet little girl snoozed through the whole encounter, totally unaware of the fuss her arrival had caused around the world.
