Sci Tech
kate middleton given “Baby-On-Board” Pin
kate middleton given “Baby On Board” Pin
During a tour of London’s Underground trains celebrating 150 years of operation, the Dutchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton received a surprise gift.
Then London Underground’s Chief Operating Officer Howard Collins presented them with Oyster cards and said: “Now we have an extra present for the Duchess.”
Holding up the badge he said, to laughter: “This says ‘Baby on board!’.”
She beamed with pride as she held aloft a circular “Baby on Board” pin presented to her at the Baker Street Station, where London’s subway system first premiered in January of 1863.
The pin is given regularly to expectant mothers who ride on the London Underground as a discreet way of letting other passengers know that these riders should be given priority seating as a courtesy from other passengers during peak travel times when seats are scarce.
He said afterwards: “Kate said ‘Oh yes I’ve seen this before’. She used to travel the Tube so she probably saw them then.
“She asked me ‘How do they work?’ and I said they’re fantastic, they really do make a difference – saves men the embarrassment of having to guess if a woman is pregnant.
“She asked so many great questions of the staff and seemed really interested our work.
“She said she used to use the Tube on a regular basis and said she misses travelling on the Tube.”
The Dutchess of Cambridge, who is in her fifth month of pregnancy, was accompanied on the tour of the train tube by her husband’s grandparents, Queen Elizabeth I, newly released from the hospital herself after stomach troubles, and Prince Philip. Middleton promised the crowd that she would wear the button even while at home.
Pregnant Duchess traps Heel in Drain
The pregnant Duchess of Cambridge avoided an embarrassing fall during a St. Patrick’s Day Parade when her four inch stiletto heel got trapped in a drain cover.
According to the Daily Mail, the incident occurred as Kate and husband Prince William were inspecting the First Battalion Irish Guards, a traditional event for members of the British Royal Family to attend; the Duchess had just presented a shamrock sprig to the Irish Wolfhound mascot of the Army regiment when she stepped backwards and become trapped. William gallantly held his wife’s hand as she freed herself from the grate and avoided an unfortunate fall.
Wearing the same green coat she had used for last year’s ceremony at the Mons Barracks in Aldershot after it had undergone some alterations to fit her pregnant figure.
On The Web:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-kate-middleton-baby-on-board-pin-underground-queen-london-20130320,0,3909739.story
