The royal baby & a nation's psyche

Have you seen this 3 minute clip of Prince William and Catherine presenting their newborn baby to the world?

To my mind, two extremely privileged people have had a child. All being well, little Prince George will one day be king. That's it; I'm quite neutral about it. So I must admit to feeling shocked by the reaction of the public outside the hospital. All the whooping and cheering seemed to border on the hysterical to me (it's certainly a new spin on the fact that the word 'hysteria' comes from 'hystera', meaning 'womb'..).

If anything I thought George should have been greeted with a hushed silence so as not to frighten the poor mite....

The fervour of the crowd is suggestive of something deeper here - such as a myth or ritual playing out.

What do you think of the footage? Are you reminded of a myth? What ritual do you think is being played out here?

Warmly

Esther