The highly anticipated royal baby of Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has been born in the private Lindo wing of St. Mary’s hospital in London. The 8 lb, 6 oz boy was born at 4:24 p.m. London time Monday.
Kensington Palace officials said Prince William was present at the birth and that “Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.”
“The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news,” the palace statement said.
The baby’s name has not been released, but his title will be Prince of Cambridge.
Kate Middleton was admitted to hospital at 6 a.m. BST Monday after a short trip by car from Kensington Palace with William.
Their newborn son is third in line to the throne, following his grandfather Prince Charles and Prince William. The arrival of the new heir to the throne pushes William’s brother, Prince Harry, to fourth in the line of succession.
Before the birth, William and Kate, who were married in 2011, had said they were unaware of the child’s gender. Published reports claimed the couple had purchased many baby items in neutral colours, avoiding the traditional pink and blue hues.
William and Kate’s baby is the third great-grandchild for the Queen and Prince Philip. Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, and his Canadian wife, Autumn, have two daughters.
The Queen, who was the first person to be officially notified of the birth, received the news at Buckingham Palace.
The public was officially informed by the traditional method of posting a paper notice on an easel displayed outside the Palace.
Prince Charles said he and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were overjoyed at the arrival of Charles’s first grandchild.
“It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy,” Charles said in a statement issued through Clarence House.
“Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone’s life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future,” Charles said.
He was on official duty in Yorkshire, more than 320 kilometres from London, on Monday as Kate went into labour.
