The new royal baby has arrived!
Prince William and Kate Middleton welcomed their third child — a prince — on Monday, Kensington Palace announced.
“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs,” the statement said. “The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.”
“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 statement continued. “Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.”
Big brother Prince George, 4, was at school when his little brother was born and big sister Princess Charlotte, who turns 3 in May, was at home at Kensington Palace.
The name of the baby boy will be announced in due course, the palace said. Albert and Arthur are tied as the most popular names for a boy – at 5-1 and 9-1, respectively, according to British oddsmakers.
The self-proclaimed Royalist Town Crier walked up to the famous steps of the Lindo Wing and called out, “God Save the Queen,” and announced the birth of the baby prince.
The newest royal family member was born at St. Marys Hospital in London – just like George and Charlotte. Kate was admitted to the hospital before 6 a.m. (U.K. time) in the early stages of labor on Monday.
The royal baby is the fifth in line of succession after Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Per royal protocol, an official announcement will be posted with the full details on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
Its expected that close relatives – led by Kates parents, Carole and Mike Middleton, and Williams father Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall – will come to see the couple and their as-yet-unnamed newborn before the couple leaves the hospital.
Following the celebratory formalities, including a gun salute in one of the London parks, the couple is expected to take their baby home to nearby Kensington Palace, where great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth may then visit.As the couple takes in their first moments with the new baby, royal fans have gathered outside the hospital in hopes of another mini press conference like the one William and Kate held to debut George and Charlotte.
Just as with her first two pregnancies, Kate, 36, battled acute morning sickness, also known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum, during her first trimester. Once she resumed her royal duties, she hit the ground running, supporting World Mental Health Day, welcoming future sister-in-law Meghan Markle for the holidays, joining William for their busy tour of Sweden and Norway and walking the red carpet at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (just to name a few royal outings!).
The babys arrival comes just weeks before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to tie the knot at St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle.
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