Prince William and Kate announce birth of son

The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a son, Kensington Palace said tonight.

The baby weighed 8lbs 6oz and was born at 4.24pm. He will be third in line to the British throne and is to be named in “due course”.

The palace said in a statement: “The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.

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A town crier announces the birth of the son of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images.

“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.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are delighted at the news.”

Soon after the palace announcement was made, a notice giving details about the baby left St Mary's Hospital in London by car for Buckingham Palace. It has been signed by the Queen's former gynaecologist Marcus Setchell, who led the medical team that delivered Kate's baby.

The notice was placed on an easel in the palace’s forecourt just like the announcement of William’s birth on June 21st, 1982, a traditional element of royal theatre. Hundreds of wellwishers have gathered at Buckingham Palace and outside the hospital.

The Prince of Wales said he and his wife were “overjoyed” at the news. In a statement, he said he was “enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time”, adding that it was “an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine”.

The new royal baby will be the Queen’s third great-grandchild and is destined to be crowned monarch. He will be the 43rd sovereign since William the Conqueror if, as expected, it follows reigns by the Prince of Wales then William.

The royal couple travelled by car to the St Mary’s Hospital in west London before dawn and entered through a back door to avoid media camped outside the main entrance.

Kate gave birth to the child at the private Lindo wing of the hospital, where her husband was born to the late Princess Diana in 1982. Kate and William, both aged 31, met when they were students at St Andrews University and were married in April 2011 in a spectacular wedding broadcast around the world.

The royal birth has provoked a similar frenzy, with national and international media keeping up a deluge of speculative reports throughout today from outside the hospital.