Kate Middleton and Prince William are celebrating the arrival of a new baby who has a special link to Princess Charlotte. The infant, who will be called Mary, was born on Oct. 12 to her parents, Thomas van Straubenzee and Lucy Lanigan-O'Keeffe.
Van Straubenzee is reportedly a good friend of Prince William from his time in Ludgrove with Prince Harry. Van Straubenzee is also the godfather of Princess Charlotte.
Lanigan-O'Keeffe, on the other hand, is a teacher at Thomas's Battersea, where Princess Charlotte and Prince George are enrolled as Year 1 and Year 3 students, respectively. The teacher and Princess Charlotte's godfather got married in July, in a low-key ceremony after dating for almost two years.
The pair was originally set to have their wedding in April with Princess Charlotte standing as one of the bridesmaids. However, Van Straubenzee and Lanigan-O'Keeffe had no choice but to postpone the event because of the pandemic.
Van Straubenzee's younger brother, Charlie, is also close to Prince Harry and is believed to be the godfather of the Duke of Sussex's son, Archie Harrison. Charlie is married to Daisy Jenks and they welcomed their first-born in February. The Van Straubenzee brothers had important roles in the wedding of Harry to Meghan Markle in 2018.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate will have their hands quite full at home again as Princess Charlotte and Prince George are on their half-term break. The Cambridges usually leave London for Norfolk during this short vacation from school.
However, it's unclear if they will return to their country home at this time since the Cambridges just arrived in London in September. The family spent close to six months at Anmer Hall while the U.K. went on strict lockdown.
During the children's school breaks, Prince William and Kate don't normally take in royal duties so they could spend their time with the kids. Last year, Kate arranged a mini-Halloween party in Norfolk. She also took George, Charlotte and Louis to an arts and crafts shop at King's Lynn, according to Hello.
Prince William and Kate also bring the George, Charlotte and Louis to the homes of extended family members. But since two households are not permitted to converge, amid the new lockdown rules in the U.K., the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge might have to skip a trip to Bucklebury Manor, the home of Carole and Michael Middleton.
