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| The Queen's Press Secretary Ailsa Anderson, with Badar Azim, a footman, places an official document to announce the birth of a baby boy, at 4.24pm to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at St Mary's Hospital, in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in London Monday July 22, 2013. The child is now third in line to the British throne. |
LONDON (AP) -- It's a boy!
Prince William's wife, Kate, has given birth to a prince who is now third in line to the British throne.
The
child was born Monday afternoon, after many Britons woke up to the news
that Kate, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, had gone into labor
with the couple's first child.
The royal birth
announcement said the boy was born at 4:24 p.m. weighing 8 pounds, 6
ounces. William was present for the birth, the statement said. The
announcement did not include a name for the future monarch, though one
is expected to be revealed in the coming days.
"Her
Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in
hospital overnight," it said. William also issued a brief statement,
saying "we could not be happier."
Cries of joy
erupted from the waiting crowd amassed near Buckingham Palace as the
news came through, and hundreds of onlookers - some of whom had camped
outside for hours - crushed against the palace's fences to catch a
glimpse of the bulletin formally announcing the birth placed outside the
palace's forecourt.
"It's a crazy atmosphere,
everyone is getting very excited," said Andrew Aitchison, 47, outside
the palace.
"It's great to be part of history, to say we were here and
saw it all happen."
William's father, Charles, and his wife, Camilla, spoke of their joy and pride in becoming grandparents for the first time.
"It
is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so
thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy," Prince Charles said
in a statement. "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."
It
could be some time before the baby's name is made public. When William
was born, a week passed before his name was announced. Charles's name
remained a mystery for an entire month.
The
royal birth at central London's St. Mary's Hospital recalled that of the
baby's father, William, in 1982, at the same hospital. Many remember
the moment when he was carried out in his mother Princess Diana's arms
with proud father Prince Charles at their side.
William and Kate's son is expected to follow Charles and William to the throne.
The
baby's gender had been of particular interest because the prospect of
Kate's pregnancy had prompted a change to laws of succession to ensure
that a daughter would not be passed over for the crown by a younger
brother.
No one can tell what political and
personal changes the intervening years will bring, but the baby can be
expected to become the head of state of 16 countries, including Britain,
Australia and Canada. The child will also eventually become Supreme
Governor of the Church of England.
The little
prince represents a living link to Britain's imperial history - the
infant is the great-great-great-great-great-grandchild of Queen
Victoria, who ruled at the peak of British power.
The
couple waited, however, until William was nearly finished with his
military work as a search and rescue helicopter pilot based at an air
base in a remote island off the coast of Wales.
That
allowed Kate to ease into royal life, and to become more comfortable in
the spotlight, before becoming a parent. It also allowed her to play a
supporting role during Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations
last summer.
The first months of her
pregnancy were not easy, and she was hospitalized in early December with
acute morning sickness that left her weak and dehydrated. She seemed to
recover her stamina fairly quickly and made a series of public
appearances until the final weeks before giving birth, drawing praise
for her poise and good cheer.
The royal couple
and their newborn are expected to spend much of their time in the
coming years in renovated quarters at Kensington Palace, where William
and Harry also spent much of their childhood.
Royal
officials say Kate and William will try to give their child as normal
an upbringing as possible. That may be challenging in an age when the
British royals are treated as major world celebrities.
