Chapter 264: William and Anna
In the following days, Arthur fell into a long-awaited state of peace and leisure. Aside from occasionally spending time with his family, inspecting some of the nearby construction, and attending government meetings, these had almost become all of Arthur's daily tasks.
During this time, Australasia remained low-key, with no significant international activity apart from the ongoing domestic construction projects.
The months passed quickly, and before long, it was September of 1909.
Since the announcement of Queen Mary's pregnancy last Christmas, it had already been nine months. The time had almost arrived for the birth, and the royal palace was on high alert, with Arthur awaiting the arrival of his heir.
Especially in the last month or two, Arthur had been preparing diligently. Even while working, he almost always stayed by Queen Mary's side.
According to the doctors, Queen Mary's due date was expected around mid to late September—within the next few days.
On September 10th, Queen Mary moved into the royal private hospital's maternity ward, which was equipped with more advanced instruments to ensure better care for her.
The birth of Arthur's child was a significant event for all of Australasia. Most of the people were eagerly awaiting the news, and the cabinet had sensibly reduced their reports to Arthur, handling less important affairs themselves, postponing those that could wait.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! The Queen is going into labor!" A maid hurriedly entered Arthur's office, calling out to him.
The maid, one of Queen Mary's personal attendants, had been given permission by Arthur to enter his office for important matters, so the guards did not stop her.
Arthur quickly dropped the document he was reading and rushed toward the private hospital. Fortunately, the private hospital was not far from his office, and in just a few minutes, he arrived outside.
"Just stay here, Arthur. There's nothing you can do inside. You'll only be in the way," Princess Louise said quickly when she saw Arthur about to enter.
Arthur nodded helplessly and sat down on a bench outside.
"How is it going?" Arthur asked.
"So far, everything is going smoothly. It looks like she will give birth today. Be patient, Arthur. You're a monarch; acting so impatiently is beneath you," Princess Louise responded.
It wasn't surprising that Arthur was anxious. In this era, childbirth was still a dangerous process. This was the early 20th century, a time when medical technology was not very advanced.
Although it wasn't as deadly as in ancient times when even a cold could be fatal, entering the delivery room was still a life-threatening event.
Beside Princess Louise was Grand Duchess Elizabeth, who had come from Russia more than a month ago. Elizabeth was the wife of Grand Duke Sergey and the adoptive mother of Queen Mary.
Because Grand Duke Sergey and his wife had no children of their own, they treated Mary and her siblings as their own.
Upon hearing the news that Queen Mary was about to give birth, Grand Duchess Elizabeth had rushed from St. Petersburg to Sydney to be there for her, despite knowing that Australasia had excellent medical conditions and plenty of servants. But there was a difference between caring for her and having someone else do it.
After exchanging greetings with Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Arthur continued to wait outside.
One couldn't help but marvel at the complex relationships and connections between European royal families. The unborn child of Queen Mary already had an incredibly prestigious lineage.
Apart from being a prince or princess of Australasia, the child was also a member of the distinguished House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a direct descendant of the British royal family, the grandson or granddaughter of King Edward VII, the first cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the grandnephew or grandniece of Tsar Nicholas II.
This already involved the three most powerful monarchies in the world. If you traced the family tree further, you could find numerous other royal families with blood ties to the child.
Such a background was extraordinary, and it was precisely the reason for the splendor of European monarchies at the time.
Since the announcement of Queen Mary's pregnancy, countless congratulatory telegrams had flooded in, and Arthur truly began to experience what it meant to have so many relatives.
Of course, much of this was because Australasia was rising, and its relationship with both Britain and Germany was strong. All the telegrams came from relatives of Arthur's, and he couldn't afford not to reply. This, perhaps, was the trouble of having so many relatives.
But such a network of relations was something many people would envy. As a member of European royalty, Arthur knew how crucial it was to maintain good relationships with other royal families. As long as there was no conflict of interest at the personal or national level, it was always wise to foster positive relations with everyone.
After all, no one could guarantee that their family would never fall into decline. These connections could be a safeguard for the survival of their family in case of a fall from power.
As time passed, hours turned into minutes, and finally, after three to four hours of waiting since Arthur had arrived at the hospital, the sound of crying babies came from the delivery room.
Everyone stood up in anticipation and turned their gaze toward the room.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Queen has given birth to a prince and a princess!" A female doctor hurried out of the room with a smile and reported to Arthur.
Arthur let out a relieved breath, his previously anxious heart finally calming. He asked, "May I go in and see them?"
The female doctor paused for a moment but quickly responded, "Of course, Your Majesty."
Without hesitation, Arthur walked into the delivery room.
Although the royal private hospital only occupied one floor of the eastern part of the palace, it had over a hundred rooms and several dedicated operating rooms.
The maternity room Queen Mary was in was specifically prepared for royal family members, equipped with the best materials in the world, and had cost a significant amount of money to prepare.
At the bedside, Arthur finally saw Queen Mary, pale, lying beside two wooden cribs with the newborns.
"Well done, Mary!" Arthur stepped forward and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a silk handkerchief.
Queen Mary gave a soft smile and nodded at Arthur, then looked at the two babies beside her.
Just as Arthur was about to pick up one of the babies, Princess Louise and Grand Duchess Elizabeth had already taken them into their arms.
Arthur's hand paused in the air, and he finally chose to hold Queen Mary's hand instead.
"Well done, Mary."
Princess Louise, holding one of the babies, smiled warmly and walked toward Queen Mary, saying lovingly, "You've done well, mother. It's my duty to continue the royal line, and didn't you and Arthur take care of me for so long?"
Mary smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing, mother. It's my responsibility to continue the royal line. You and Arthur have taken care of me for so long."
Unlike the rivalry between other royal families, the atmosphere in the royal family of Australasia was warm and close.
Of course, this was also due to the relatively small size of the royal family. After all, the royal family was still just a small group, which made the atmosphere warmer compared to the larger families of other royal dynasties.
Before long, news of Queen Mary's delivery of a prince and a princess spread quickly throughout the palace, though it couldn't be released without Arthur's permission.
Telegrams were sent from Sydney to various parts of the world, with most of the countries that had previously sent congratulations receiving the news.
Naturally, the countries sent telegrams of congratulations, and Arthur finally had time to respond to them, though the responses were delayed until the next day.
It's worth mentioning that, despite it being late at night, the printing presses in Australasia were still operating. Not only were the royal family's two newspapers, the Victoria Herald and the Australasian Daily, printing the good news, but private newspapers across the country were also rushing to print the story.
It wasn't just about political correctness—based on the public's reaction in Australasia, more than two million people were following Queen Mary's pregnancy. This meant that even those printing the papers for private profit were making a lot of money.
However, they didn't have photos of the babies or their names, which would have made the papers even more popular.
But as far as the names went, the baby photos couldn't be released without Arthur's permission. No one—whether palace guards, maids, or servants—could enter the royal palace without being strictly monitored by the Royal Security Intelligence Service.
Arthur was confident in this. Without absolute loyalty, it would have been impossible to even set foot inside the palace.
After the birth, naming the two children became Arthur's headache.
Western names were often repeated, and giving them unique names could make them sound odd.
Noble families often used names that were the same as their fathers or chose names from Western history.
For example, Arthur himself shared the same name as his father, Duke Arthur, with only slight variations.
Arthur initially wanted to consult Princess Louise and Queen Mary about the names but was told by both to leave the naming to him, citing the importance of the names.
This reminded Arthur that the names couldn't be chosen carelessly. After all, the young prince would be the heir to Arthur's throne, and the princess was his only daughter. Their names would carry strong political significance.
Arthur, born into the British royal family, had strong British roots. Queen Mary, on the other hand, was born into the Russian royal family.
This meant that the names of their children would either lean towards British or Russian style. But whichever style they chose would affect the political atmosphere in Australasia, signaling which country they leaned toward.
If Arthur chose a Russian-style name for the prince, it was certain that the British would not be pleased.
After much deliberation, Arthur finally settled on names for the two children.
His eldest son was named William Alexander, and his daughter was named Anna—one with a British style, the other with a Russian style.
If you added Arthur's name and family name, the full names of the two children were William Alexander Connard Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Anna Connard Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
As for their religious beliefs, they would naturally follow the Anglican faith, which was also practiced by most of Australasia.
Of course, after the complete separation from the British Anglican Association, it would now be more accurate to call it the Australasian Church.
Arthur could have named the children after himself, symbolizing his heir's position, but he couldn't bring himself to name his descendants the same as himself. Wouldn't that be confusing?
Primogeniture was generally followed, unless the firstborn turned out to be incompetent.
But given how much importance the royal family and government were placing on William, his chances of becoming incompetent were slim to none.
Once the names were finalized, Arthur made the announcement through the two newspapers and arranged for the Royal Relief Committee to organize another free distribution of supplies.
In addition, to celebrate, Arthur decided to begin a nationwide tour and inspection of Australasia, which also gave him the opportunity to unwind.
After spending so many months in the palace, it was time to get out and relax.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997