An overjoyed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are waking up to their first full day as proud parents
of a ‘beautiful’ baby boy, as Britain and much of the world continues to celebrate the birth of a future king.
Official announcement of the baby's arrival
The couple’s son was delivered at 4.24pm yesterday in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington weighing a bouncing 8lbs 6oz and with his proud father looking on.
Last night William slept there in a separate room to his wife and their little boy, and there is speculation that the family will leave for Kensington Palace together this afternoon.
Their prince's first night in the world was an eventful one, because London was hit with a number of violent thunderstorms after what had been the hottest day of the year so far.
Meanwhile well-wishers from all over the world partied late into the night outside Buckingham Palace, even in the thunder, lightening and torrential rain.
The as yet unnamed baby will be given the title His Royal Highness and be known as Prince (Name) of Cambridge, after a decree by the Queen earlier this year.
The new prince is third in the line of succession, displacing Prince Harry to fourth and the Duke of York to fifth, although he may not become sovereign for half a century or more.
Recent legislation allowing female heirs to automatically accede to the throne if they are first born will clearly not affect the Cambridge’s son, but will have a bearing on any of his children.
At 2pm today The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will fire a 41 Gun Royal Salute to celebrate the birth of the royal baby, and at the same time at the Tower of London, the Honourable Artillery Company will fire 62 rounds.
News of the royal birth - which came after an 11 hour labour - was not made public by Kensington Palace until 8.29pm last night, four hours after the baby was born.
Sources said the couple ‘just wanted to spend a little time together to bond as a family’ and inform members of both families privately before the news was disseminated to the world. William made those calls personally.
The Queen, who arrived back at Buckingham Palace just after 3pm yesterday, declared herself ‘delighted’ - as did all.
Kate, 31, may be discharged as early as lunchtime after being assessed by doctors this morning.
Surprisingly, no family visitors were expected last night - not even the Middleton family - as the couple want to spend some time alone together, sources told the Mail.
Grandpa happy over grandchild's arrival:
In its official statement Kensington Palace said : ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm.
‘The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz.
‘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 and will remain in hospital overnight.
Below are the medical team, Guy Thorpe-Beeston, Marcus Setchell and
Alan Farthing in charge of the birth of the Royal baby leave Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hopsital
Shortly after an announcement was made by press release last night, the couple’s Press Secretary, Ed Perkins, walked out of the hospital to hand the formal proclamation to a waiting driver who sped with it across London to Buckingham Palace.
There it was displayed on an easel last used to announce William’s birth in 1982 by the Queen’s Press Secretary, Aisla Anderson.
For much of the day, however, the waiting media and public had little more to go on than a brief 45-word statement from Kensington Palace which read: ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted this morning to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labour.
‘The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge.’
Palace officials refused to give any further details, arguing they wanted to afford the Duchess some ‘dignity’ in what was a very public labour, although sources also confirmed what the nation had long suspected: that Kate was overdue.
But photographs taken at 5.30am by a freelance photographer waiting outside the hospital capture the moment just seconds after Kate and her husband, both 31, were smuggled in a side entrance to the hospital.
But the birth is also a momentous event for the present Queen on a very personal level.
The last time a still-serving monarch got to meet a great grandchild born in direct succession to the crown was nearly 120 years ago.
Queen Victoria, who reigned until 1901, was still sovereign when her great grandchild Edward VIII, who later abdicated, was born third in line in 1894.
William and Kate’s baby will be the great great great great great grandchild of Queen Victoria and the present Queen’s third great grandchild.
The joyous arrival of Baby Cambridge will set the seal on an immensely happy - and settled - period for the Royal Family, after several decades dominated by highly public marital strife.
More pertinently, it will be time of immeasurable joy for first time parents William and Kate, who have made no secret of their desire to start a family.
In an interview to mark their engagement in 2010, Kate said of the importance of family to her: ‘Yes. It’s very important to me. And I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves.’
But the following weekend she suffered another bout of severe sickness, forcing the cancellation of further long-standing engagements.
William later attempted to make light of the awfulness of his wife’s condition, however, saying: ‘They shouldn’t call it morning sickness as it’s a day and all night sickness.’
It was, however, an undeniably difficult time, and one that was not made any easier when the private hospital was plunged into the most unimaginable tragedy.
Days after she was released, a nurse who had cared for the Duchess, Jacintha Saldanha, committed suicide after admitting she had been tricked into revealing details of her condition by two Australian DJS during a prank call that had been put through to the ward. An inquest into her death will be held later this year.
Fortunately the Duchess made a full recovery and continued with a light diary of public engagements until mid-June, setting the fashion world alight with her choice of elegant maternity outfits ranging from Top Shop to bespoke Emelia Wickstead outfits. The last time she was officially seen in public was at Trooping the Colour on June 15.
But one officer standing guard seemingly didn't get the message - because he showed off his confidential briefing note in full view of hundreds of cameras this afternoon.
The memo, headed 'Briefing note Lindo Wing posts', could clearly be read by any of the long lens cameras trained on the front door of the private unit.
The incident raised fears that security had been compromised at the hospital which Kate Middleton was admitted to at 5.30am in the morning as she went into labour.
A team of royal protection officers rushed the mother-to-be in via a rear exit, the same route taken by Princess Diana when she gave birth to William in 1982.
By the afternoon there was a large police presence around the hospital as royal fans gathered as they waited for news about the soon-to-be mother and baby.
Meanwhile, many more gathered outside Buckingham Palace, where the official announcement of the baby's birth was to be made on an easel to be placed at its gates.
The Queen left Windsor Castle back to Buckingham Palace
Prince Charles had continued with business as usual as he arrived in Yorkshire - even as the country held its breath for the imminent arrival of the royal baby.
He arrived in York to visit the National Railway Museum and York minster during the morning, before continuing to West Yorkshire during the afternoon.
His wife Camilla was set to meet him and the two were to visit Bridlington, East Yorkshire.
Excitement reached feverish levels outside Buckingham Palace this afternoon when the Queen arrived home from Windsor Castle, where the huge crowd surged dangerously as she was driven through the gates.
Scores of people ran towards her vehicle screaming 'the Queen!', while others reached into their pockets to grab their camera phones in an effort to catch Her Majesty's fleeting appearance.
The months of speculation and anticipation - dubbed the Great Kate Wait - built to a climax this morning amid news that the Duchess of Cambridge had been admitted to hospital in the early stages of labour.
Royal fan Terry Hutt, 78, from Cambridge, has been camped outside St Mary's Hospital for 12 days.
The former soldier, who served with the Royal Ordnance Corps, is sleeping on a bench across the road from the Lindo Wing.
'I have the best royal bed in town,' he said.
'I have lost my voice with all the excitement. At night we're watching the hospital in two-hour stints, like the Army.
'The health of the baby, and Kate, is the only important element.'
Mr Hutt is wearing a Union flag suit and tie which a Dutch firm donated to him.
'My trousers are 10 inches too long,' he said, adding that his wife of 51 years, Joy, think he is a bit mad.
The septuagenarian has been joined outside the hospital by 'Diana Superfan' John Loughrey, 58, from Wandsworth, south-west London.
'I'm so excited I'm like a washing machine - I'm on full spin,' he said.
'I can't stop spinning. I've been here for seven days and heard gossip overnight that Kate was here.
'If it's a girl I think Diana will be the middle name. If it's a boy I believe Charles will be the name, because he has nurtured William and Harry.'
A close friend of Prince William spoke of his excitement ahead of the birth of the Duke and Duchess's first child as he arrived back from what is believed to be the first recorded kayak crossing of the North Sea between Britain and Norway.
Adventurer Oliver Hicks, 31, said he was looking forward to being introduced to the infant after battling 7ft waves on the 200-mile mission with fellow rower Patrick Winterton.
Mr Hicks, who attended the royal wedding and was greeted by the Prince when he became the youngest person to row solo from America to Britain aged 23, said: 'I was very keen to find out whether William and Kate's baby had arrived on making landfall.
'It was very exciting to hear the baby is now on its way as we landed back in the UK. It is such great - and very happy - news.
'I hope it all goes smoothly and wonder if the little one will be like William or Kate.
'I look forward to meeting the nipper in due course.'
Well-wishers from around the globe began gathering outside Buckingham Palace early yesterday, as news of the royal baby's imminent arrival broke.
Tourists armed with cameras peered hopefully through the Palace gates on the off-chance of spotting the easel, placed on the forecourt detailing confirmation of the birth.
Carole Middleton (left) Kate's sister, Pippa (Right)
In Australia, a set of commemorative baby stamps has already been commissioned to mark the royal birth.
Lynette Traynor, a postal worker from Melbourne who is on holiday in London, said: 'We love everything to do with the royals, so the news is full of it.
'We have a set of baby stamps ready to go, as soon as it has been confirmed. We can't get enough of it.'
Another visitor to the Palace, 26-year-old German Veronika Schwarz, said she thought there was greater excitement outside of England.
'We don't have anything like the Royal Family in Germany, so we are all getting quite carried away with this.
'My friends in London seem like they just want the baby to come out now, I think they are tired of waiting.'
Sources close to the new royal mother-to-be suggest that she is definitely not ‘too posh to push’ and wants – unless nature intervenes – to opt for a natural birth rather than an elective caesarean section like many celebrity figures.
The Duchess of Cambridge is likely be relieved their baby is finally on its way after coping with being pregnant in the middle of Britain's longest heatwave for seven years.
Kate has been admitted to hospital on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far.
The mercury is expected to reach 33C (91.4F), with the Midlands and the South of England the likely contenders for the hot spots.
Mervi Jokinen, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: 'It gets quite uncomfortable being pregnant in the heat. Your legs swell more. It's actually more uncomfortable. If you go into labour, it can be a relief.'
During a two-day visit to Scotland in April, Kate disclosed she had taken up knitting ahead of the birth. 'I've been trying to knit and I'm really bad. I should be asking for tips,' she admitted.
Kate and William, who spent the weekend at Kensington Palace, travelled without a police escort and entered the hospital through a rear entrance.
Sources told MailOnline that Kate went into labour naturally, and was not induced, adding that things are 'progressing well' for the mother-to-be.
William was said to be determined to make it to the delivery suite, following in the footsteps of his own father who broke royal tradition to be with his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, for the birth of both their children.
Inside the hospital providing help, advice and logistical support were the royal couple's most loyal aides: Miguel Head, Prince William's unflappable private secretary, and his young colleague Rebecca Deacon, who works as private secretary to the Duchess.
Both are as close to the Duke and Duchess as any member of Royal Household staff can be and are trusted implicitly.
Two of the couple's small press team - press secretary Ed Perkins and his assistant Nick Loughran - were also on permanent standby at the hospital, flitting between the Lindo Wing and the hundreds of photographers, journalists and camera crews waiting outside.
Lastly, the couple's team of Scotland Yard bodyguards were never far away.
Indeed, the couple's police protection officers, who were photographed ushering them safely into hospital, would have been among the first to know that the Duchess was in labour.
Palace officials chose to make the announcement that Kate was in hospital public in an attempt to balance her ‘dignity’ with the fact that social media makes it almost impossible to keep her baby's imminent arrival a secret.
The couple chose not to know the sex of their baby, bucking the trend of 75 per cent of British parents who now choose to discover the gender of their child.
MailOnline understands that William himself was likely to phone the Queen before anyone else, even his own father, depending on what time of day the baby is born.
After this call a traditional and dramatic chain of events will be kick-started that will lead to the announcement of the future monarch's birth - following exactly the same process as Prince William's to retain 'the theatre' of a genuine royal occasion.
As soon as the baby was born, a proclamation signed by the doctors who delivered the boy or girl was to be be rushed from the ward.
The sheet of creamy A4-size Buckingham Palace-headed paper would be brought out of the Lindo’s front entrance by a press officer.
It would then be handed to a waiting driver and driven through the streets of London – escorted by police outriders - to the Privy Purse Door at the front of Buckingham Palace.
There it will then be placed on an easel, last used to announce Prince William’s birth, by the main gates in the palace forecourt.
A palace spokesman explained that the rather theatrical nature of the announcement was crucial to retaining a sense of dignity appropriate for the birth of an heir to the throne.
He said: ‘We wanted to retain some of the theatre of the notice. It is quite important to us that this is done properly and with the degree of dignity that the event demands.
'This is the birth of a child who will be in line to the throne. It is a rare occasion and it is nice to be able to do it with some historical precedence.’
Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a 'very exciting occasion' and whole country is 'hoping for the best'.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, tweeted: 'My thoughts and prayers are with Kate and the whole family on this enormously special day.'
Kate's controversial uncle Gary Goldsmith was the first member of her family to speak out after she went into labour.
He wrote on Twitter: 'Woke up to Thunder this morning but not a drop of rain? Now it's blistering & supposedly the hottest day if the year oh & very very exciting'.
It is understood Kate's mother Carole and sister Pippa had planned to be at the hospital with her. It was also hoped that William will make a short statement on the steps of the hospital after the good news has been declared – as will the Middletons.
Palace sources had also made clear the birth would not not be made public until the Queen and senior members of the royal family have been informed. The Middletons, in the unlikely event that were not able to make it to the the hospital, were also to be informed of the birth in advance.
The procedure was to avoid announcing the birth on Twitter.
However if the baby is born between 10.30pm and 8am, the news was to be sent out via press release with the easel being erected later that morning, at around 9am.
Prince William is due to take just two weeks’ statutory paternity leave - for which he will be paid £136.78 a week - before returning to his normal shift pattern.
His wife, however, will definitely not return with him to their home on Anglesey with the new baby.
A palace spokesman had said that there was ‘still some discussion’ about where Kate and their new-born will be based.
But the Daily Mail has already revealed that she plans to move in with her parents at their £4.8million Berkshire mansion for around six weeks after William returns to work, as builders are still putting the finishing touches to their new apartment at Kensington Palace.
She chose St Mary's Lindo Wing, like the late Princess Diana before her, where a natural birth, staying in a private suite, is likely to cost up to £10,000.
The couple’s choice of the private wing is unsurprising, but nevertheless touching given the link with William’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
William has always, by and large, kept his feelings about his mother close to his chest – aside from admitting he gave Kate her engagement ring as a way of keeping her ‘close to it all’.
He became the first future monarch in history to be born in a hospital when he was delivered there on 21st June 1982, followed by his brother, Harry.
The Lindo underwent an extensive refurbishment in June 2012 and now provides what it boasts is the ‘highest quality of care’ for patients experiencing both ‘straightforward’ and complex pregnancies.
All rooms are equipped with satellite television, wi-fi, radio, a safe and a fridge. There is also a bedside telephone, internet access and a team of ‘catering staff’.
The hospital wing even offers its own wine list should patients and their guests wish to enjoy a glass of champagne to celebrate their baby’s arrival.
The bill for delivery is staggered per 24 hours – with a quick, natural birth costing £4,965. Staying in a suite – as the Duchess is likely to do – would cost an additional £1,000 plus per night on top of that, meaning the delivery could cost up to £10,000.
The child will be known as Prince or Princess, then their first name, followed by the words 'of Cambridge'.
They came up with a shortlist of names, but Kate said it was 'very difficult' and that her friends had been texting her ideas.
The name the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge give their first-born will most likely set a trend for the next generation of babies.
Royal infants mostly have safe, historical names which are passed down through the monarchy, with bookmaker William Hill reporting George as the favourite for a boy and, after a flurry of bets,
Alexandra - one of the Queen's middle names - as the favourite for a girl, while Charlotte is also thought to be a contender.
Elizabeth, in tribute to the Queen, and Diana, to pay homage to William's late mother, are also expected to make an appearance if the baby is a girl, while Charles, in honour of the Prince of Wales, or Philip, for the Duke of Edinburgh, are possibilities if it is a boy.
The Cambridges are also likely to take inspiration from Kate's side of the family, perhaps honouring her father Michael or mother Carole.
Francis is a recurring name in Kate's family tree. It is both her father and her grandfather's middle name and Frances was her great-great-great grandmother's first name. It was also William's mother's middle name.
The Queen will undoubtedly be informed of the chosen names prior to their announcement, but is unlikely veto any.
The nation is on tenterhooks as it waits to here whether our future monarch is a girl or a boy, but astrologers claim its star-sign will provide the biggest clues as to the type of monarch it will become.
The timing of the baby's birth would dictate whether the baby is an emotional Cancer or fiery Leo, astrologers say.
If the child was born before 4.54 yesterday, it would be a Cancerian, like its father Prince William and grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales.
But if the baby came later, astrologers say it will be Leo, like its great-grandmother Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
The boy is a Cancerian.
Buckingham Palace say that, as an HRH, the youngster does not require a surname, indeed William and his brother Harry were christened using just their first names.
Royal Household’s official surgeon-gynaecologist, Alan Farthing
Its website explains: ‘For the most part, members of the Royal Family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname, but if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.’
However William has chosen to use the surname Wales professionally in the forces, as has Harry. His children might use Cambridge in the same way, or even Wales, too, as William still retains his title Prince William of Wales as well as that of the Duke of Cambridge.
The good news is that summer babies are thought to be more optimistic than those arriving in winter.
The new third-in-line-to the-throne is likely to be born under the star sign of Cancer, assuming its arrival falls between June 21 and July 22.
Cancerian babies – including Prince William’s late mother who was born on July 1 - are meant to be ‘soft, sensitive and affectionate’ as well as ‘imaginative, kind and gentle souls’.
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