Princess Charlotte’s friends in high places

For the past decade or so, a royal baby boom seems to have enveloped Europe, and young parents have succeeded to thrones in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. So if William and Kate go on a continental family holiday, there will be plenty of royal playmates for the kids. Indeed, it’s rare for a few months to pass without a royal gathering of some sort. After all, they are family. (The Swedish king is first cousin of the Danish queen, whose sister is married to the exiled king of Greece, whose own sister is Queen Sofia of Spain—you get the idea.)

While they may have grand titles, it’s often a relaxed time. Back in February, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit played with Estelle, 3, of Sweden at a Nordic skiing championship. And in mid-April, when royals from across Europe gathered outside Queen Margrethe’s palace in Copenhagen to wish her a happy 75th birthday, her grandson, Prince Vincent, 4, gave a high-five to Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Who else better understands life under the glare of cameras?

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Here’s more of Maclean’s in-depth coverage of the birth of the second royal baby:

• The new royal baby is more than a spare to the heir
• HRH Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge: A royal infographic
• What will a new princess mean for the economy?
• How has Prince George stayed so invisible—and can Charlotte do the same?
• A labour of love: Patricia Treble’s eight stages of the #GreatKateWait
• Recapping a princess’s whirlwind 12 hours