Prince William and his wife Catherine, duchess of Cambridge show their newly-born daughter, their second child, to the media outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in central London.
AFP/London
Prince William’s wife Kate gave birth to a baby girl yesterday as Britain celebrated the royal family’s new fourth in line to the throne.
The beaming couple later left the hospital carrying the newborn princess in front of hundreds of screaming well-wishers and amid a flurry of flashes from the assembled crowd of photographers.
A relaxed-looking Kate wore a yellow patterned dress and cradled the sleeping baby wrapped in a white blanket in her arms in front of the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in central London.
William then drove his wife and daughter to Kensington Palace, the couple’s official residence, in a black Range Rover after carrying the baby in a car seat.
The birth of a sister to prince George was announced to the world in a tweet from Kensington Palace and by a traditional town-crier in a colourful costume and a feathered tricorne hat, ringing a bell on the steps of the clinic.
A proclamation signed by the royal doctors was also placed on a gilded easel in front of Buckingham Palace, where hundreds of onlookers crowded by the gates to witness the historic moment.
“Her royal highness the duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34am,” the Kensington palace press office said in a statement.
William was present for the birth and the as yet unnamed princess weighed eight pounds and three ounces (3.7kg).
William said he was “very happy” when he went out to Kensington Palace earlier yesterday to pick up 20-month-old prince George, the couple’s first child, and bring him back to the clinic to meet his little sister.
It was only the second time since his own birth in 2013 that George had been seen in public in Britain as his parents have shielded him from the media and threatened to sue paparazzi who take his picture.
Great-grandmother queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the royal family were informed before the formal announcement and grandfather prince Charles was said to be “absolutely delighted” at the news.
The queen wore a pink dress and shawl at a military parade she attended in northern England later yesterday in apparent homage to the latest arrival.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” prime minister David Cameron said, leading congratulations from around the country that included the message “It’s a Girl” scrolled on an electronic display on top of London’s BT Tower.
Royal navy sailors on board HMS Lancaster sent a unique message of congratulations by lining up on the flight deck to spell out the word “sister”.
In Australia, which William and Kate visited last year, prime minister Tony Abbott sent a message saying his country “shares this young family’s joy”.
Media teams from around the world rushed to the private maternity wing of St Mary’s hospital in the early morning, joining a group of royal superfans who have remained camped outside for nearly two weeks.
The baby was born less than three hours after 33-year-old Kate was admitted to hospital at around 6am, compared to the more than 10 hours of labour with George.
“It’s a girl! It’s a girl!” the diehard supporters sang out after the birth was announced, also intoning the tune of “Happy Birthday” for the royal baby.
The new princess of Cambridge is fourth in line to the throne after queen Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, grandson William and great-grandson George.
She is the first major royal who cannot be overtaken in the line of succession by any future younger brothers following changes to the monarchy’s rules.
The name favoured by bookmakers is Alice, followed by Charlotte. The last royals named Alice include queen Victoria’s daughter, princess Alice of Hesse, and prince Philip’s mother, princess Alice of Battenberg.
Many supporters spoke of their memories of William’s late mother, princess Diana, who gave birth to William and his brother Harry in the same clinic.
She died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 and her memory is still cherished by many Britons.
“What an amazing day!” Sadie Moran, a 45-year-old wrapped in a British Union Jack flag, told AFP.
“It’s like a memory of princess Diana,” she said.
At Buckingham Palace, a queue formed to file past the easel announcing the royal birth.
“It’s an unforgettable day in my life,” said Joy Buttinger, a nurse living in Austria who was on holiday with her 18-year-old daughter.
William and Kate are planning to spend the first few days after the birth at Kensington Palace, their London residence.
They will then travel to Anmer Hall, a secluded 10-bedroom country mansion on Queen Elizabeth’s privately-owned Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, where they have also set up home.
