Prince George of Cambridge

[Ultonius]

BBC

22 July 2013 Last updated at 10:58

Royal baby: Pregnant Kate taken to hospital in labour

The Duchess of Cambridge has been taken to hospital in the early stages of labour, Kensington Palace has said.

She travelled by car from the palace to St Mary's in Paddington, west London, with her husband the Duke of Cambridge.

The couple do not know the sex of their first child, who will be third in line to the throne.

"Things are progressing as normal", said a spokesman. The next official announcement is likely to be that of the birth.

The world's press have been camped outside St Mary's for days in anticipation of the birth. The due date had never been officially announced but had widely been expected to be mid-July.

Royal vehicles were seen at a back entrance to the hospital at about 06:00 BST, with the announcement coming from Kensington Palace an hour-and-a-half later.

The couple, both 31, travelled to the hospital without a police escort, their spokesman said.

The duchess is being tended by a top medical team led by the Queen's former gynaecologist Marcus Setchell, who delivered the Countess of Wessex's two children.

Assisting him is Alan Farthing, the former fiance of murdered TV presenter Jill Dando and the Queen's current gynaecologist.

She will give birth in the hospital's private Lindo wing, where Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry were born.

There is a strong police presence around the hospital and two police officers are guarding the entrance to the private wing.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the duchess was thought to be one week past her due date.

"The royal statement contains 45 words. All there will be to sustain the world's media until the baby is born," he tweeted.

Last week, the Queen joked about the imminent arrival of the newest member of her family, saying she hoped the baby was born before she went on holiday to her private Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are in Yorkshire and during a visit to the National Railway Museum, the prince did not answer any questions about becoming a grandfather.
Easel announcement

The Duke of Cambridge has been with his wife on annual leave and will have two weeks' paternity leave from his job as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.

It is believed the next time the couple will be seen in public is when they appear on the steps of the hospital with their baby.

The way the birth will be announced is steeped in tradition. It is custom for news of royal births and deaths to be attached to the railings of Buckingham Palace, but in this case it will be displayed on an ornate easel in the forecourt of the palace.

The Queen, senior members of the Royal Family, and the duchess's family - if they are not at the hospital - will be told about the birth first.

Then a royal aide will take a bulletin, signed by key medical staff, from the hospital to the palace under police escort.

After the note is displayed, an announcement will be posted on Twitter and Facebook, and the media will be informed.

Under new laws to succession the baby will remain third in line to the throne regardless of gender, and the gender of any subsequent siblings.

Prime Minister David Cameron spoke about the excitement surrounding the imminent arrival, and also about the recent changes to the rules of succession.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, he said it was "pretty much a done deal".

All the nations of the Commonwealth have agreed, he said, even if the changes had not yet passed through their parliaments.

The new royal baby will be the Queen's third great-grandchild. It will be expected to take the throne following reigns by Prince Charles and then Prince William.

The couple announced they were expecting their first child in December after the duchess was admitted to hospital suffering from severe morning sickness.

Since the announcement, the duchess has carried out 19 days of public engagements before going on maternity leave in the middle of June.

Catherine's final public appearance before the birth was at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in June.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married at Westminster Abbey in April 2011, watched on television by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

I'm glad the wait's finally nearly over. It'll be funny if after the fuss about amending the succession it turns out to be a boy after all. It would also be the Queen's first male great-grandchild, since the children of Peter Phillips are both girls, Savannah and Isla.

[Broomstick]

I'm just relieved that all breathless anticipation will be over, I'm a little tired of hearing about how she hasn't gone into labor when oh when will the baby be born? Chill, people.

Anyhow, here's hoping for a very uneventful labor and delivery for the Duchess and a healthy baby.

[Lagmonster]

I appreciate the pomp and circumstance of the event (I'm Canadian, after all), but where it comes to news...well, I keep wishing for a button. This button, if you'll pardon me a moment to dream, would allow me to vote in real time, as newspeople were talking on the radio or on television. If enough people pushed the button, the newsperson would receive a message telling them to change the subject until they have any bit of genuinely novel or unique information to report.

I wish I had this button, because I am not certain how many times this morning I want someone on CBC radio to say, "We interrupt our regular programming to tell you that absolutely nothing has changed, but we just wanted to let you know that we're totally on top of this exciting event, for which, again, there are absolutely no new developments".

[Dartzap]

Meanwhile, everyone here is avoiding the news like a plague.

[Tiriol]

Slightly off-topic, but I do wonder what it feels like to having a considerable percentage of the English-speaking world (and probably many who are not native English-speakers or even citizens of those countries) just salivating while waiting for you to squeeze a baby out of you. Must be a surreal experience - or would be, if not for the fact that pregnancy and labour probably keeps your attention occupied somewhat.

[Raesene]

According to the BBC,

it's a boy!

congratulations to the royal parents, I hope he's healthy and the mother's well, too.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

It's a boy
8lbs 6oz.

Just had ITV announce it during a commercial break Apparently it was around 16:30

[Ultonius]

Born at 16:24 British Summer Time - BBC

22 July 2013 Last updated at 20:42

Royal baby: Kate gives birth to boy

The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy, Kensington Palace has announced.

The baby was delivered at 16:24 BST at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, weighing 8lb 6oz.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were "delighted at the news".

The news is now also expected to be displayed on an ornate easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in line with tradition.

A bulletin, signed by key medical staff, is being taken by a royal aide from St Mary's to the palace under police escort.

The press release said 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," it said.

"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight."

[Spekio]

Slightly off-topic, but I do wonder what it feels like to having a considerable percentage of the English-speaking world (and probably many who are not native English-speakers or even citizens of those countries) just salivating while waiting for you to squeeze a baby out of you. Must be a surreal experience - or would be, if not for the fact that pregnancy and labour probably keeps your attention occupied somewhat.

I find the whole Royality thing surreal. We had an empire here until 1889, when we installed a republic. In the following century, we alternated between republic, dictatorship, republic again, military dictatorship and democratic presidentialist republic here. In 1993, 5 years after the new constitution, we had a plebiscit where we could choose parlamentarism, presidentialism or reinstall the constitutional monarchy. There actually was a monarchist movement. Spearheaded by a congressman. Go figure.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Apparently they delayed the announcement by 4 hours to give themselves some breathing room

[Captain Seafort]

After all the fuss of changing the succession to absolute primogeniture, a boy was almost guaranteed.

[DaveJB]

After all the fuss of changing the succession to absolute primogeniture, a boy was almost guaranteed.

Not surprisingly, there are already people on Twitter saying that they should alternate between having a king and having a queen in the name of gender equality, and that after Charles has his turn as king the next monarch should be Zara Phillips (never mind that Princess Beatrice would actually be the next in line after Charles if that system were to be employed).

[Ultonius]

I suspect that Prince Harry's feelings can be summed up by this quote from C.S. Lewis:

"Hurray! Hurray!" said Corin. "I shan't have to be king. I shan't have to be king. I'll always be a prince. It's princes have all the fun."

[Zaune]

So in-keeping with Kanye and Kim's baby naming madness, I assume we will be welcoming "Legoland" Windsor into the royal family.

My brother, via Facebook.

[HMS Sophia]

So in-keeping with Kanye and Kim's baby naming madness, I assume we will be welcoming "Legoland" Windsor into the royal family.

My brother, via Facebook.

Not to ruin a perfectly serviceable Joke, but according to the beeb we don't actually know the surname yet. It could be Mountbatten-Windsor, Wales or Cambridge... or the child could have no surname at all.

[Raesene]

Name speculation for HRH, the Earl of Strathearn: I'd bet on Philip Michael George Henry James Albert

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

So, being descended from medieval nobility, they don't have true surnames in the modern sense (I still lol at "Captain Wales." Prince Harry ought to just don a spandex suit with a Welsh dragon on it) ... but why is it necessary to give them 80 zillion first names?

[Havok]

So Publius has something to do?

[Thanas]

So, being descended from medieval nobility, they don't have true surnames in the modern sense (I still lol at "Captain Wales." Prince Harry ought to just don a spandex suit with a Welsh dragon on it) ... but why is it necessary to give them 80 zillion first names?

Somewhere noble families named their kids after the Godparents, which meant the names were used to cement alliances.

[Ultonius]

Name speculation for HRH, the Earl of Strathearn: I'd bet on Philip Michael George Henry James Albert

His title will almost certainly be HRH Prince [name] of Cambridge. The eldest son of a non-royal peer would take one of his father's lesser titles (often earl, if the father is a duke) as a courtesy title. However, the rules are different for the offspring of royal peers.

In Britain, the title of Prince/Princess and style of HRH is given to the children of a sovereign, the male-line grandchildren of a sovereign, and the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (between 1917 and 2012, only the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales was entitled to this, but the rules were altered in case this child was a girl, to make sure she was a princess from birth).

Therefore, although a sovereign's sons are usually made dukes when they marry, their children are normally styled as HRH prince/princess [name] of [dukedom]. One recent exception to this has been Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, firstly because he chose to be made an earl, rather than a duke, when he married, and secondly because he and his wife requested that his children be styled as the children of an earl, rather than as Prince and Princess. They are therefore known as Lady Louise (Mountbatten-)Windsor and Viscount Severn, when strictly speaking their titles are Princess Louise of Wessex and Prince James of Wessex. They have the option to use these titles when they come of age.

The one circumstance in which the eldest son of a royal peer is known by a courtesy title is when the father is the male-line grandson of a monarch, but not the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, and the son is a male-line great-grandson of a monarch. In such cases, the father is a second-generation royal peer who has inherited his peerage from his father, a son of the sovereign. When the father dies, and the son inherits the peerage, it will cease to be royal, and the son will be addressed as any other peer of that rank would be. A couple of examples of this are the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent and their eldest sons. Both dukes are grandsons of George V, and their fathers were brothers of George VI, the Queen's father. The Duke of Gloucester's eldest son is known as the Earl of Ulster, while the Duke of Kent's eldest son is known as the Earl of St Andrews.

Finally, the children of a prince who is not a peer, usually the younger son of a royal duke who is a son of the sovereign, are given the same style as the younger children of a duke, i.e. Lord/Lady Firstname Surname. An example of this is Prince Michael of Kent, the younger brother of the Duke of Kent, and his children Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Windsor.

[FTeik]

After all the fuss of changing the succession to absolute primogeniture, a boy was almost guaranteed.

Well, the chances were always fifty/fifty.

[Ultonius]

First sight of the baby - BBC

23 July 2013 Last updated at 19:31

William and Kate present baby prince

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have emerged from hospital with their new baby son.

Walking out of St Mary's Hospital in west London with their son to cheers from well wishers, the Duchess said it was "a special time for any parent".

Prince William said they were "still working on a name".

The couple went back inside the private Lindo Wing and placed the child in a car seat. The duke drove his family away towards to Kensington Palace.

Speaking to reporters, the couple both said the experience was "very emotional".

They revealed William had done the first nappy change.

William added their son had a "good pair of lungs" and joked he "thankfully" had Kate's looks.

Picture from Huffington Post UK, with bigger pictures in the slideshow at the bottom of the article.

[K. A. Pital]

I am just sad here that nobility can still exist and be newsworthy.

[Broomstick]

At least the British royals make some attempt to be useful. The current queen worked as a truck mechanic during WWII. Prince Harry is on active duty in the military. William flies a search-and-rescue helicopter. They could have chosen to be useless playboys but they got real jobs. Well, not every relative, but those closet to throne have tried to have actual careers while waiting to inherit.

It does baffle me that the US, which fought two wars to be free of the British, have so many who are so fascinated by the British royals.

[Ultonius]

At least the British royals make some attempt to be useful. The current queen worked as a truck mechanic during WWII. Prince Harry is on active duty in the military. William flies a search-and-rescue helicopter. They could have chosen to be useless playboys but they got real jobs. Well, not every relative, but those closet to throne have tried to have actual careers while waiting to inherit.

It does baffle me that the US, which fought two wars to be free of the British, have so many who are so fascinated by the British royals.

Military service, either as a long-term career or for shorter periods, is a long-held tradition for male members of the royal family. I suppose it's a way of making up for the impracticality of a monarch or their relatives leading an army in the field or a fleet at sea in a modern professional military.

As for the fascination, it may be that the common language, shared history, and somewhat similar cultures make the British royal family more accessible and interesting to Americans than the royal families of other nations. Another factor may be that an American president's family, with the possible exception of the First Lady, tend to be relatively in the background, especially if he has adult children with lives of their own. Members of the royal family, especially those high in the line of succession, are more visible, because of the duties they peform and the titles they hold.