Prince William and Kate Middleton announce birth of third child — a baby boy
PRINCE William and Kate Middleton looked overjoyed as they showed off their third child, sibling to George and Charlotte.
THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have welcomed their third child — a baby boy.
Less than seven hours after Kate gave birth to her second son, who weighed 3.8 kilograms, she appeared on the steps outside St Mary’s Hospital in London with the newborn and her husband.
The couple smiled and waved to the crowds before they returned home to join their two older children at Kensington Palace for their first night as a family of five.
Kate, 36, wore a red Jenny Packham shift dress with a white collar in an apparent homage to Princess Diana’s outfit when she gave birth to Prince Harry. The Duchess of Cambridge paired the dress with nude heels as she cradled the new baby wrapped in a white lace shawl.
Prince William, 35, told reporters they were “very delighted” with the new arrival and said, “You’ll find out soon enough,” when asked about the name.
Kensington Palace announced on Monday that Kate had given birth at the Lindo Wing of the Paddington hospital, just as she did with Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2.
“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs [8pm AEST]. The baby weighs 8 lbs 7oz [3.8kg],” the palace said in its announcement.
“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.
“Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.”
A formal notice of the birth was placed in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace and will remain there for 24 hours.
Tony Appleton, a town crier from southeast England, showed up in full regalia to declare the newborn prince’s birth outside the hospital. The words “It’s a boy” flashed in lights around the top of London’s BT Tower, which can be seen for miles around.
Prince William left the hospital at around 4pm local time, telling reporters, “Back in a minute.”
He returned with Princess Charlotte and Prince George just before 5pm (1am Tuesday AEST), so the children could meet their new brother. Onlookers were smitten with Charlotte’s adorable wave to the cameras, which was reminiscent of George’s nervous salute when he arrived at the same hospital to welcome his little sister into the world.
The prince is here! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appear on the steps of St Mary's Hospital with their third child #RoyalBaby pic.twitter.com/KfeypuiZ3G
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 23, 2018
Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrive at St Mary’s to meet their little brother. pic.twitter.com/rfX9rsdJhU
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 23, 2018
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.
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 23, 2018
Vanessa and Joanne from Lancashire thrilled about new #royalbaby @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/HZoFcGuVnb
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) April 23, 2018
Town crier predicts #Philip for #Royalbabyname pic.twitter.com/AaF78fZp3h
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) April 23, 2018
“Back in a minute,†says a smiling Prince William. pic.twitter.com/cSdgJe6qO8
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) April 23, 2018
The visit is a family tradition, with a young William visiting brother Harry in hospital after the younger sibling’s birth.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge emerged from the hospital at around 6pm local time (3am Tuesday AEST). After posing for photographs outside the hospital’s private wing, they travelled 1.6 kilometres back home with the baby tucked into a car seat in the royal Range Rover.
Charlotte wore a blue dress and navy cardigan and waved to the media as she and her older brother walked into the hospital with their father holding their hands. George looked more serious in a blue shirt, shorts and navy V-neck jumper trimmed in red.
The announcement of the birth came just five hours after the Duchess was admitted to the Lindo wing around 8.30am (5.30pm AEST) on Monday 23 April, in the “early stages” of labour. She was driven there by car with Prince William.
The hospital was surrounded by media and excited royal fans, with one group having camped out for two weeks. The well-wishers popped champagne and cheered when they heard the news today.
The name of the baby is expected to be revealed in the coming days but it’s likely to have strong royal connections.
The Duke of Cambridge departs St Mary’s Hospital to see Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Kensington Palace. pic.twitter.com/qOwD4uepgB
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 23, 2018
While the baby has been born on St George’s Day, the feast day for the patron saint of England, that name has already been taken by his older brother.
Prince George’s full name is George Alexander Louis while Charlotte’s is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, paying tribute to both Her Majesty and William’s mother, Princess Diana. Arthur, Albert, Philip and Frederick have all been tipped as potential names.
The newborn royal is now fifth in line to the throne, bumping Prince Harry into sixth place.
THE REACTION
Outside the hospital, royal fans waved flags and sipped wine as they waited for a glimpse of the new arrival, cheering when the new family finally emerged.
Vanessa Crossley and Joanne McLoughlin, from Lancashire, told news.com.au they saw news of the royal arrival while going for a morning run so came back down to watch.
“It’s really exciting ... Nice they’ve got a growing family,” said Joanne, who is picking “traditional English names” for the baby.
“Perfect. It sounds like it’s all gone smoothly,” Vanessa said.
Friends Onkar and Sukhdev Singh said they were “really excited” hearing the news and jumped straight on a train from West London to wait outside the hospital.
The Duchess of Cambridge's third child will be fifth in line to the throne, ahead of uncle Prince Harry #RoyalBaby pic.twitter.com/XEQoipJrOG
— Press Association (@PA) April 23, 2018
There's a new #royalbaby in Britain. The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave hospital with their third child. More from @ReutersPictures: https://t.co/iO65itOtMU pic.twitter.com/nMtBbPHd4G
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 23, 2018
Video: towards the end of their three minute photo call Kate murmmered to William that she worried about their little baby boy getting cold and they went in. #royalbaby pic.twitter.com/FzH64yYrYt
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) April 23, 2018
Kate's dress is ABSOLUTELY a shutout to Diana's when she had Harry, you will not convince me otherwise. #royalbaby pic.twitter.com/z4vg7LDjhS
— Victoria (@vomsy) April 23, 2018
“It’s such an amazing day in history in that it’s the first time a woman has been ahead of a man in succession to the throne,” Onkar said in reference to the fact Charlotte will not be bumped down the line because she is female.
“So that makes a woman fourth in line for the throne after today ... we can all celebrate that as British people.”
Friends Barbar and Grace said the birth was “absolutely fantastic” news while toasting the baby with a glass of wine.
“As long as its healthy and they’re happy then it’s fantastic news,” adding that she was picking Albert or Charles for a name.
Speculation over the baby’s name has been growing online, with the bookmakers’ favourites including James, Philip, Arthur and Frederick. The baby’s full title will be His Royal Highness, Prince (Name) of Cambridge.
Social media users also noticed the similarity between Kate’s white collared red dress and the one Princess Diana wore when Prince Harry was born. The Duchess of Cambridge also paid homage to her late mother-in-law when she wore a dress with polka dots after Prince George’s birth in 2013 — just like Diana did when she had William.
Kate has chosen bespoke shift dresses by British designer Jenny Packham for all three of her post-birth appearances, with the new mum wearing a white and yellow shift dress in a buttercup print after delivering Charlotte in 2015.
What you need to survive 15 days waiting for a #royalbaby pic.twitter.com/kSCezTqKLs
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) April 23, 2018
Jade drive up from Bournemouth to see #royalbaby 3 and will be outside #Lindowing ‘for the duration’ @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/xiEPXfiKWA
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) April 23, 2018
Hot tips on the new #royalbabyname from Babar and Grace outside the Lindo wing @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/yygO6JNYQG
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) April 23, 2018
THE DELIVERY
The Duchess was cared for by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, surgeon gynaecologist to the royal household, the Queen’s gynaecologist, Alan Farthing, Dr Sunit Godambe, consultant neonatologist at Imperial College NHS Trust and Professor Huw Thomas, the head of the medical household and doctor to the queen.
The name of the baby is likely to be announced in the next few days.
It had been widely reported that Kate was planning a home birth for her third child, but decided on another hospital delivery in the last weeks of her pregnancy.
Late last year, a source close to the royals told UK newspaper The Express: “Catherine has said she would love to have her baby at home.
“Above all they both agree that having a home birth would save a massive intrusion into the day to day running of any hospital,” the source said.
“They were very concerned about the chaos caused with the first two children as hundreds of press and public camped outside for several days, and they would like to avoid a repeat if they could.”
However, in March, another source told Vanity Fair that the royal couple had secured a room at St Mary’s instead.
“She knows the team and she feels like she’s in very safe hands,” the source said.
Although the royal couple is clearly overjoyed with their new arrival, Kate has joked in the past that her husband may have needed some more time to prepare for another newborn.
When a man congratulated her on her pregnancy during an official engagement last year, she reportedly told him with a laugh: “William’s in denial.”
THE PREGNANCY
As with all of her pregnancies, Kate was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum — an extreme form of morning sickness — in her first trimester, prompting the palace to announce the news earlier than the standard three-month mark.
The statement, released last September, read: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.”
THE GODPARENTS
While Prince George has seven godparents and Princess Charlotte has five, interestingly, neither list includes Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton or Prince Harry.
And while Pippa’s candidacy is unclear, it’s unlikely Harry will get the call-up this time around either, according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.
In an interview with The Express, he also indicated one of William’s cousins, Eugenie or Beatrice, may be named godmother.
Fitzwilliams said the emphasis could be “firmly on their close friends” to act as godparents to the child.
It wouldn’t be the first time — when Princess Charlotte was born in 2015, the couple broke royal tradition and named three friends and two (non-royal) cousins as her godparents.
It’s also been rumoured that William and Kate’s soon-to-be sister-in-law Meghan Markle may be in the running.
WHERE THE BABY WILL GROW UP
Following the birth of their second child, Princess Charlotte, the Duke and Duchess made Anmer Hall on the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk their home base. But with Prince George starting school and Princess Charlotte at nursery, the couple have since moved back to London.
The new baby will be primarily raised at Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace, which boasts four floors and 20 rooms.
EXTRA HELP
Prince William and Kate Middleton currently only rely on their Spanish nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo, to help out with George and Charlotte, but it's likely that they’ll look to add to their staff now that there are three children.
Kate’s mother Carole Middleton has also regularly been on hand to help out with her grandchildren — and she’s certain to be a welcome babysitter again now.
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