It's a boy - 'Very excited' Prince William takes Kate home after birth of prince
Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their new baby boy in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
LONDON (Reuters) - Kate, wife of Prince William, smiled and waved as she left hospital on Monday after giving birth to a boy who is now fifth in line to the British throne.
The baby was born at 1001 GMT and weighed 8 lbs 7oz (3.8 kg). William was present for the birth at St Mary's Hospital in west London where their other two children, George and Charlotte, were also born.
Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their new baby boy in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
Kate, wearing a red dress, smiled at hundreds of well-wishers and assembled journalists as she left the hospital clutching her baby just 7 hours after the birth. William later put the boy, strapped into a car seat, into a waiting car.
"Thrice the worry now," William told reporters, holding up three fingers with a smile, as he got into a Land Rover to take his wife and newborn back to Kensington Palace. "We didn't keep you waiting too long this time."
"Very happy, very excited, thank you," he said. When asked about a name for the boy, William said: "You'll find out sooner or later." Bookmakers have made Albert, Arthur, Jack and Fred the favoured names for a boy.
Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their new baby boy in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, the baby's grandfather, and other members of the royal family and Kate's family have been informed and "are delighted with the news", Kensington Palace said.
When William brought his children to see their brother, Princess Charlotte, 2, turned and waved at the gathering of well-wishers. George, 4, did not wave.
The baby is the queen's sixth great-grandchild and is behind his grandfather and heir Prince Charles, father William, and siblings George and Charlotte in line to the throne.
Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their new baby boy in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
A 2013 change to the law means that for the first time in British history, a new prince will not supplant his older sister in the order of succession. Previously younger males would take precedence over older female siblings.
William's younger brother Harry, who marries U.S. actress Meghan Markle next month, falls to sixth on the list.
The official announcement of the birth was made by placing a notice on an easel in the forecourt of the queen's London home, Buckingham Palace, a tradition that has been in place since it became the sovereign's official residence in 1837.
Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their new baby boy in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
"My warmest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby boy," Prime Minister Theresa May said. "I wish them great happiness for the future."
ROYAL PRINCE
Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their new baby boy in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
William and Kate met as students at St Andrews University in Scotland. They wed in a pageant-packed ceremony at Westminster Abbey in April 2011 and are treated as global celebrities.
The couple now live at Kensington Palace and last year William gave up his day job as an air ambulance pilot to concentrate full-time on royal duties on behalf of his grandmother, having faced some criticism from British newspapers who dubbed him "workshy Wills".
He has been determined to play a hands-on role in bringing up his children while also protecting their privacy, an issue close to his heart after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a 1997 Paris car crash as her limousine sped away from pursuing paparazzi.
Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their new baby boy in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
"I think he takes on a lot more engagements than he used to," said royal biographer Claudia Joseph.
"But compared to members of the general public who have full-time jobs, he still has some time off to look after the children, to give them their baths, to put them to bed and I think he'll continue to do that," Joseph said.
The British royals are rarely out of the media glare, but the baby arrives at a time when the Windsors have particularly been in the limelight.
A notice is placed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace to formally announce the birth of a baby boy to the Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, in London, April 23, 2018. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters
On Saturday William joined the queen and other senior royals, with the exception of Kate, as the monarch celebrated her 92nd birthday at a televised concert.
The queen also played a prominent role at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London last week, where it was announced that Charles would succeed her as head of the network of mainly former British colonies.
A notice is placed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace to formally announce the birth of a baby boy to the Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, in London, April 23, 2018. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters
MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
While interest in their third child has been more muted than with the birth of their first, large numbers of photographers and broadcasters from around the globe massed outside the hospital, along with some dedicated royal fans.
"We've been coming out doing this for 21 years," said John Loughrey, 63, from south London, who was wearing a Union Jack onesie and hat and holding a baby doll adorned with a crown. He said he had been camped outside the hospital for 15 days.
A man dressed as a town crier shouts outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a son, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
"We were here for George and Charlotte and we'll be there for the royal wedding too," he said, referring to Harry and Markle.
However, not everyone in Britain is so enamoured.
"Congratulations to William and Kate but it is a private matter and if people are happy for them then fine but I think the media should just move on and talk about something more important," Graham Smith, chief executive officer of the anti-monarchist campaign group Republic, told Reuters.
A man dressed as a town crier shouts outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a son, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
"The monarchy is about births, deaths and marriages and these events remind us how this system works and highlights again the inequality of those born into royalty and those born into poverty."
One consequence of the birth is that some existing members of the royal family are pushed to the periphery, and this has led to calls for the monarchy to be pared down.
"One of the problems all members of the royal family have is they start quite close to the throne and gradually as time goes on they go further and further away," royal historian Hugo Vickers said.
Tourists and photographers take pictures of a notice placed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace to formally announce the birth of a baby boy to the Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, in London, April 23, 2018. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters
"It's very easy to talk about a bloated royal family but it's not really fair because the queen has an enormous amount of requests of things to do and her family are there to support her."
The birth also gives Kate's own family another cause for celebration after it was reported by British media on Sunday that her sister Pippa, who is married to a wealthy financier, was pregnant with her first child.
Two supporters of the royal family holding dolls wearing crowns celebrate outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a son, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
(Additional reporting by Hannah McKay, Andy Bruce and Tom Ball; Editing by William Maclean/Mark Heinrich)
Supporters of the royal family celebrate outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a son, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKayFILE PHOTO: Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, leaves the annual Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson Cameras and journalists stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKayPolice officers watch as a couple pose for a photo while holding a baby outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsCameras and journalists stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsSupporters of the royal family stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsPolice officers stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsSupporters of the royal family stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsFILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and his wife Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, attend a reception at Claerchens Ballhaus, in Berlin Germany, July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Britta PedersenFILE PHOTO: Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge talk as they visit Bellevue Palace Garden together with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Buedenbende, in Berlin, Germany, July 19, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File PhotoFILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, his wife Princess Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk at the airfield in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany, July 21, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Charisius/File PhotoA police officer stands outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsSupporters of the royal family stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsSupporters of the royal family stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital after Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted after going into labour ahead of the birth of her third child, in London, April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsA fan of Britain's royal family camps outside the hospital where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth, in London, Britain April 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsA fan of Britain's royal family camps outside the hospital where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth, in London, Britain April 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
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