The Royal Baby Wore a Very Significant Outfit for His Official Debut
The world's newest royal just made his first fashion statement, and he's barely a few days old! Proud new parents Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wrapped their baby in a G.H. Hurt & Son Ivory White Leaves and Flowers Baby Shawl.
The outfit followed years of royal tradition to use a traditional lace shawl from G.H. Hurt & Son, one of the oldest surviving lacemakers in Nottingham, England. Four generations of Hurts have led the family business since 1912, and its unique history has naturally attracted a royal clientele.
Prince William and Kate Middleton used G.H. Hurt & Son baby blankets for all three of their children's public debuts on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital. Princess Diana also wrapped Prince William up in one of their shawls after his birth, according to People. Prince Charles received one as an infant in 1948 as well, Nottinghamshire Live reports.
"For us as a company, we're absolutely delighted and for the city of Nottingham," director Gillian Taylor (née Hurt) told the local paper last year after Prince Louis's birth. "Lace knitting is part of Nottingham's rich heritage."
Her father William Hurt, who learned the craft of handframe knitting from his father, actually received prestigious a MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) award from Queen Elizabeth II in 2009.
In 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge swaddled the future king Prince George in one of the company's Super-Fine Merino Wool Christening Shawls, which retails for $102.
A sleepy newborn Princess Charlotte snuggled up in an almost identical wrap. The ivory white Elegant Soft Wool Baby Shawl sells for $130 and features a subtly different pattern.
For his part, Prince Louis wore the $126 Nottingham Lace Knitted Baby Shawl and a knitted cap from high-end Spanish boutique Irulea, just like his older sister. (Prince George was born on a warmer July day!)
You can order G.H. Hurt & Son blankets to the U.S., but if you're on a tighter budget, check out these other favorite baby blankets and swaddle blankets as picked by the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab.
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