There’s nothing like looking into a busy crowd and spotting a familiar face smiling back at you.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, was seven months pregnant with Prince Louis when she visited the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ London headquarters in February 2018.
This marked the news that she had been announced as their new patron, as well as the patron of the Nursing Now campaign.
While she was there, Kate toured many areas of St Thomas’ Hospital and visited the children on the Snow Leopard ward.
She then went on to meet several midwives and was reunited with someone very special.
As she greeted the crowd, from the corner of her eye she saw Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent – the midwife who helped deliver Princess Charlotte in 2015 – and gave her an enormous hug.
Kate’s midwives, Arona Ahmed and Professor Dunkley-Bent, were pictured smiling outside the hospital with the princess after Kate’s short 154-minute labour in 2015.
A team of three midwives was on standby for more than a month to cover three shifts over a 24-hour period in case Kate was admitted early.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, was seven months pregnant with Prince Louis when she visited the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists London headquarters in February 2018
As she greeted the crowd saw Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent – the midwife who helped deliver Princess Charlotte in 2015 – and gave her an enormous hug
Professor Dunkley-Bent (L) is said to have built up a rapport with Kate as she also delivered Prince George in 2012
Professor Dunkley-Bent is said to have built up a rapport with Kate as she also delivered Prince George in 2012.
In 2019 she was appointed into the most senior midwifery role in England, taking on the newly created role of chief midwifery officer.
She is responsible for overseeing the delivery of measures to enhance safety and support.
According to the Royal Family website, it suggests that upon meeting royalty, men should bow from the neck and women should dip into a small curtsey.
The same rules follow when you address a royal. It’s Your Royal Highness on the first meeting and subsequently Sir or Ma’am.
But as royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘The Queen once told Michelle Obama that royal protocol is rubbish, meaning that the Royal Family adapt it when it is appropriate to do so.’
Kate has often flexed the rules of royal protocol by giving out hugs and chatting extensively to adoring fans.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has a strong connection to the Royal Family, particularly Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother who was the College’s Patron from 1947 and was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship.
Kate and William pose with newborn Princess Charlotte outside the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington in 2015
Kate, William and Professor Dunkley-Bent are pictured leaving the Lindo Wing with their newborn son, Prince George of Cambridge, at St Mary’s Hospital on July 23, 2013
Kate and William pose outside St Mary’s Hospital in 2013 while their midwives stand to the side
In December 2019 Kate paid tribute to midwives in an open letter and through her work with the Royal College of Midwives, expressing her profound admiration for their dedication and compassion.
She highlighted the importance of the human-to-human relationships and acts of kindness midwives provide, emphasising that these are often what make the most difference during vulnerable times.
She also acknowledged the impact of midwives on early childhood development.
She said: ‘You are there for women at their most vulnerable; you witness strength, pain and unimaginable joy on a daily basis. Your work often goes on behind the scenes, and away from the spotlight.’
At the end of November 2019 Kate spent two days privately undertaking ‘work experience’ at Kingston Hospital maternity unit in south-west London to learn about what it was like to work in frontline maternity care, describing the experience as ‘a privilege’.
Kate and Princess Anne took part in their first joint royal engagement in 2022 as they arrived together at the headquarters of their respective patronages, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives in London.
During the outing, the Princess Royal left midwives and the Duchess of Cambridge in stitches when she recalled fearing one of her babies had become ‘wedged’ when she tripped over in a horse lorry while heavily pregnant.
Kate and Princess Anne took part in their first joint royal engagement in 2022 as they arrived together at the headquarters of their respective patronages, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives
During the outing, the Princess Royal left midwives and the Duchess of Cambridge in stitches when she recalled fearing one of her babies had become ‘wedged’ when she tripped over in a horse lorry while heavily pregnant
The royal duo heard about the ways in which the RCM and the RCOG are working together to improve maternal health care, ensuring women are receiving the safest and best care possible at one of the most significant times in their lives.
Home to a collection of women’s healthcare organisations, the headquarters has been designed by the RCOG to foster collaboration across the sector.
The royals met with representatives from Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement, and learnt about the innovative digital tools that are being developed to identify and support women with higher risk pregnancies.
They watched Dr Katie Cornthwaite, an obstetrics and gynaecology registrar, give a demonstration of new training for health workers faced with delivering, via caesarean, an infant whose head is wedged in the pelvis – an issue that is a growing litigation problem for the NHS.
Kate has previously spoken about her challenging pregnancies and battle with severe morning sickness.
Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher‘s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast in February 2020, Kate shared that she preferred being in labour to being pregnant.
She said: ‘Because it had been so bad during pregnancy, I actually really quite liked labour.
‘It was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to!
‘But I know some people have really, really difficult times, so it’s not for everybody. No pregnancy is the same, no birth is the same.’
Kate is pictured in 2021 during a video call with Harriet Nayiga, the founder and director of Midwife-led Community Transformation – a charity in Uganda that aims to bridge the gap between midwives and communities
And Kate is not the only royal who reveres her midwives.
In 2014 Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, burst into tears the moment she met one of the midwives who helped her deliver Lady Louise.
This was discussed during a new Channel 5 documentary, Edward & Sophie: The Reluctant Royals?.
She gave birth to Lady Louise following a difficult’ pregnancy on the 8 November 2003.
Lady Louise was also born with esotropia, a condition that made her eyes turn inward and which was later corrected with surgery.
The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English said: ‘A few years ago, she went back to the Frimley Park Hospital and met one of the midwives that was responsible for helping her deliver Louise.
‘Sophie just burst into tears. It was clearly still a very emotional experience for her. That is not something you often see on royal engagements.
‘I think it was a sign of how deeply the experience had affected her and how much she owed the incredible NHS team at that hospital.’
In 2014 Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, burst into tears the moment she met one of the midwives who helped her deliver Lady Louise
The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English said: It was clearly still a very emotional experience for her. That is not something you often see on royal engagements’
Sophie gave birth to Lady Louise following a difficult’ pregnancy on the 8 November 2003
Kate’s recognition of Professor Dunkley-Bent in the crowd is indicative of her respect for midwives.
Throughout her time as a senior working royal, Kate has actively supported pregnant women and new mothers.
She has visited maternity units, met with midwives and healthcare professionals and spoken about the importance of mental health during pregnancy and childbirth.
She also uses her platform to raise awareness about early childhood development and the challenges faced by mothers, particularly those dealing with mental health issues.
WHO IS PROFESSOR DUNKLEY-BENT?
Professor Dunkley-Bent’s career as a midwife started at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in 2001
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent was hailed by The Daily Mail for being an ‘unsung heroine’ for helping deliver Princess Charlotte.
Charlotte, now three, was born in May 2015 at the exclusive Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, which can cost £5,900 for a one night stay.
Despite being private, the wing is ran by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, where Professor Dunkley-Bent is the director of midwifery.
Professor Dunkley-Bent delivered Charlotte alongside midwife Arona Ahmed. Both were described as being ‘unflappable’.
It is understood a team of three midwives has been on standby for more than a month to cover three shifts over a 24-hour period should Kate have been admitted early.
By establishing a specific team for the Royal birth, Kate and William ensured that the care of other patients, NHS or private, was not affected or disrupted.
Hospital insiders claimed Professor Dunkley-Bent struck up a close rapport with Kate when she delivered Prince George two years before.
It is not known if Professor Dunkley-Bent was also present at the birth of Prince Louis in April 2018.
Professor Dunkley-Bent’s career as a midwife started at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in 2001.
She has since gone on to become a professor of midwifery at London South Bank University.
And she also holds the role of head of maternity, children and young people for NHS England and the Department of Health’s national champion for maternity safety.
