Kate Middleton’s Royal Baby: What Do Londoners Think?

We asked a few members of the famously reserved British public.

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John Stillwell / REUTERS

The newly-married William and Kate kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

The news that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby — one who could someday be the King or Queen of England — has resulted in an explosion of activity across the media and social networks. (Indeed the news had barely settled in before a series of parody Twitter accounts had been set up.)

While everyone from Royal-watchers to politicians have been offering up their thoughts on the news, however, NewsFeed took to the streets of London to gauge the mood of the famously reserved British public.

(MORE: Kate Middleton is Pregnant, the Palace Announces)

Reactions varied from blasé to enthusiastic. Two young Greek girls huddling in the cold outside the Tate Modern museum appeared utterly indifferent to the revelation: “We don’t care, we’re not even from here,” said Christine Kozia, 21.

An older couple from Huntingdon, Cambridge—Prince William’s dukedom—were more welcoming: “We’d like to wish them well,” said the husband, though his wife shrewdly noted that “it could be a bit of an endless tale.”

Many Londoners appeared amused by the announcement. “Let’s just hope the Dad’s not Captain James Hewitt,” said one man, laughing. His colleague chimed in that as a father himself, he hopes “it all goes well” for William and Kate.

(MORE: The Best Tweet’s About Kate Middleton’s Royal Baby)

One worker from the local council was in a jubilant mood, shouting “William, get in!” and expressing his relief that the Prince “was not firing blanks.” His colleague from Southwark Council said that she was not surprised by the news because she had guessed it when she saw her haircut last week: “I saw her on TV and I thought, ‘darling, you’re pregnant.’”

A banker from Royal Bank of Scotland offered up a more cynical take on the news: “This is just another publicity exercise to make her [the Duchess] look good, to make her look normal,” he said. “I couldn’t care less.”

 The Duke and Duchess still appear to be lacking fans from the younger generation, however. Twenty-three year-old Martyn Round from Devon, South England, said that while the news “was nice,” the Royal Family are still not relevant to him as a younger person despite how “modern” Kate Middleton appears. A local newsagent, Mukesh Patel of Dana News, was more taken by the royal couple. “I get so many publications and I read about them everyday,” says Patel, crouched in front of some copies of a gossip magazine with Prince William on the cover. “But I am looking at this fellow’s face, and he looks so humble. I hope the press leave them alone.”

(MORE: The Most Popular Baby Names of 2012)