Royal visit for Sway couple and baby Rosie as Princess Anne visits her namesake hospital
IT was a royal welcome for a Sway couple's newborn baby girl who can boast of having Princess Anne as one of her very first visitors.
The royal VIP greeted little Rosie Eccleston just hours after she was born to parents Charlotte Brash and Cory Eccleston, tipping the scales at 7lbs 2oz.
The couple, who have two older sons Evan (6) and Archie (1), chatted with the princess as she took part in a tour to mark 42 years since she officially opened the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton.
Charlotte told the A&T: “It was all a little bit surreal because just after Rosie was born at 12.26am they asked us if we’d like to have a visit from the princess.
"I was filling in the consent forms at about 5am and I realised I just wasn’t going to get any sleep.
“It was really, really exciting and a really lovely way to celebrate Rosie’s birth.
"She chatted with us for a few minutes about my pregnancy and labour, and jokingly asked Cory if he was a problem during the labour.
“We knew we were going to meet her so we’d planned a little bit of what we were going to say but that all went out the window when she arrived.
“She was very friendly and interested, and I told her about how wonderful the midwives had been with Rosie and also my older son who arrived seven weeks early.”
She added: “The visit was a really special way to mark the birth of baby Rosie.
"We have been calling her royal Rosie."
The Princess Anne Hospital first opened its doors on 28th March 1981 and is considered a centre of excellence for maternity care, looking after around 5,000 women a year, including many from the New Forest.
The Princess Royal, who is patron of the Royal College of Midwives, was greeted at the hospital last Friday morning and toured the Broadlands Birth Centre and Burley Ward, meeting midwives, healthcare support workers, hospital staff and families.
At the end of the tour, Princess Anne planted a tree in Coxford Road outside the hospital to commemorate her visit.
Director of midwifery Emma Northover said: "We were delighted to welcome HRH the Princess Royal to our hospital and show her just how far we have progressed since she last visited us to officially open Princess Anne Hospital."
The princess also learnt about public health work with expectant parents around smoking cessation and vaccination.
She was also given an insight into digital transformation, including the newly-launched maternity triage line, a service which gives expectant parents access to help, advice and support 24/7.
