Tony Appleton (born 1936) is a British town crier who is most notable for his unofficial announcements of royal events such as the birth of Prince George of Cambridge in 2013.
Early life
Appleton was born in Chelmsford, Essex. He served in the Royal Navy during the Suez Crisis and the Korean War upon HMS Implacable, and first met Queen Elizabeth II as a 17-year-old seaman during a royal inspection of the ship. After leaving the navy, Appleton dredged diamonds in Southern Africa and later owned a carpet shop. Appleton also owns a care home in his hometown.[2]
Despite having no formal royal role, Appleton is most famous for his unofficial announcements of royal births and other events. Appleton gained international fame in 2013 by announcing the birth of Prince George of Cambridge from the steps of the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. Appleton, who describes himself as a royalist, stated that he arrived at the hospital unannounced and did not expect to be allowed onto the steps of the hospital to announce the birth. Appleton’s decision to turn up uninvited was misconstrued by American journalists Anderson Cooper and Rachel Maddow, who describes him as a royal crier when they aired his announcements on their shows. When it became clear Appleton had no formal status and was simply acting as a private citizen, Maddow issued a correction.[4]
In May 2015, Appleton announced the birth of Princess Charlotte, Prince George's sister, from the same place as he had announced Prince George's birth. In an interview with Us Weekly, Appleton stated that in contrast to his earlier announcement, the royal entourage was expecting his attendance outside the hospital.[5] Later in that year, Appleton announced from the gates of Buckingham Palace that Elizabeth II had surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch of Britain.[6] In November 2017, Appleton – again in an unofficial capacity – announced the engagement of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle from the gates of Kensington Palace in London.[7]
Appleton returned to public attention in April 2018, when he announced the birth of Prince Louis of Cambridge from the steps of St Mary's Hospital.[8] Appleton's announcement was once again assumed official by American news outlets, with CBS Morning News, who broadcast the announcement live, describing Appleton's announcement as "official" on the air and over the official CBS NewsTwitter account.[8]
