William and Kate: royal parents with a modern image

London

THE birth of Prince William and his wife Kate's second child caps a momentous four years for Britain's golden couple, completing their journey from student sweethearts to regal domesticity.

The couple have cultivated an image as down-to-earth parents ever since William drove his new family home from hospital after the birth of Prince George in 2013, his hands-on approach in stark contrast to previous generations of royal fathers. The 32-year-old has proudly boasted of changing George's first nappy, talked about how he balanced sleepless nights with his job as a search and rescue helicopter pilot and admitted that "a lot of things affect me differently" since becoming a father.