Buckingham Palace's secret celebration after Prince George's birth revealed

Prince George recently celebrated his 11th birthday, and it's hard to imagine that all of the excitement surrounding his birth was over a decade ago! Former communications and press secretary to the late Queen, Ailsa Anderson, was at the center of all the action on the day and revealed how the Buckingham Palace staff celebrated the happy occasion.

Chatting on the latest episode of A Right Royal Podcast , she explained: "As a communications person, you're always behind the scenes, you're never in front of the camera, but for once in my life, I was! I was honoured to walk across that iconic forecourt at Buckingham Palace and post the announcement of Prince George's birth at the railings.

LISTEN: A Right Royal Podcast: Money and the Monarchy

"I was terribly nervous! Absolutely don't drop it. But then it's funny, you get home and my son had been at a tea party and he said, 'Mummy, we saw you on the telly! It wasn't very interesting.' There was [a cheer from the crowd].

"The crowds witnessing it were up to Green Park, people queuing to take a look at the notice. It's history! It was the monarchy at its best, and this time now, the pomp and ceremony, it's what we do best."

© Max Mumby/Indigo

Speaking about the moments leading up to the birth, and how they celebrated, Ailsa continued: "My lovely colleague Ed Perkins was press secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they were. I got the call in the morning to say things were happening; we were in the office on tenterhooks waiting for the call!

"Excited, maybe a glass of champagne was drunk after the announcement was made—I couldn't possibly comment!"

© Dan Dennison

The royals celebrated George's birthday with a snap of the royal in a suit on social media. The caption read: "Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!" It also revealed that the lovely photograph was taken by his mother, the Princess of Wales.

Speaking about what his birthdate means for the royal, royal astrologer and Diana, Princess of Wales' former confidante, Debbie Frank, told HELLO!: "Born at 4:24 pm on 22 July 2013, George is a typical Cancerian, a 'super-sensitive sign.' He is empathetic, caring, and giving.

© The Princess of Wales

"In so many ways, he resembles his late grandmother and his father, both Cancerians who tend to come straight from the heart. His affinity with Prince William stems from their being the same Cancer Sun Sign: two peas in a pod. Cancerians can be self-protective, especially where home and family life are concerned, diving into their shells. As a boy stepping into his 'tweens,' we may see George peeking out from his shell going forward.

"Both Princess Diana and Prince William were shy as young people and yet both of them blossomed into their royal roles."

LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!

If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club . We would love you to join us there…

What is it?

Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle .

Member benefits

• Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
• Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
• Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
• Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
• Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
  
• Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
• Invitations to in-person and virtual events
• A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
• Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits

By royal decree

You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!