At some point in the next few days, Kate Middleton will have her second child. In honor of this happy event, here are some pictures of great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II looking at babies. Because when you’re a largely ceremonial figure, you spend a fair bit of time staring at babies.
Here she is getting friendly with a baby in a strangely chartreuse room:
Looking very pleased with these babies:
Though this baby doesn’t look impressed with her. Is this an anti-monarchist baby?
The tiniest of babies:
Sometimes she accepts flowers from babies:
Sometimes she accepts flowers from easily embarrassed children:
She’s been accepting those flowers for decades, of course. From 1949:
And in 1976. Those flowers are from New York City mayor Abe Beame’s granddaughter:
Meeting triplets in Bermuda, not long after her coronation:
This baby in Italy, 1961, had a Union Jack to wave with his tiny arms:
Meeting a baby in Washington, D.C., in the company of first lady Laura Bush:
Oddly, the closest I could get to a photo of Elizabeth and George (besides the official christening portrait, of course) was this. Come on, Bitsy, turn around and give us a thumbs-up:
Photos via Getty, AP Images.
Contact the author at kelly@jezebel.com.
DISCUSSION
I cannot imagine what it is like to have an entire country be waiting for you to plop out your baby.