The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child. The baby boy was delivered at 11.01am [London time] today weighing 3.83kg, Kensington Palace confirmed.
The baby was born three hours after it was announced that the duchess had been admitted to the private Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, in the early stages of labour.
The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, was present for the birth. Queen Elizabeth, 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.
Mother and child are both doing well.
He was born in the same hospital as his father and siblings, four-year-old Prince George, and two-year-old Princess Charlotte. He will be fifth in line to the throne.
The Duchess of Cambridge's third labour was predicted to be fast. When she went into labour, Clare Livingstone, professional policy adviser at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: "It will vary from one woman to another. Some women report a quicker labour with their third baby, but not everyone. It seems to be, though, that they do go more quickly. It's a very individual thing."
Charlotte was delivered at 8.34am on May 2, 2015 less than three hours after Kate was admitted to hospital. George, however, took more than 10 hours to be born, when the duchess was admitted to hospital at 5.30am on July 22, 2013, entering the world at 4.24pm.
According to the U.K.'s NHS Maternity Statistics, 57 percent of mothers in England give birth on the same day they are admitted to hospital, and a further 29 percent give birth one day later.
Kate and William spent four hours with Prince George before announcing the birth to the world at 8.35pm, and three-and-a-half with Princess Charlotte before the official tweet.
The new baby is heavierthan his siblings. Prince George weighed 3.80kg when he was born, making him the heaviest future king to be born in recent history. Princess Charlotte weighed 8lbs 3oz.
Their father Prince William weighed 3.22kg when he was born in 1982, while their paternal grandfather, the Prince of Wales, weighed 3.35kg in 1948. Prince Harry weighed 3.12kg when he was born in 1984.
The birth of a royal baby is traditionally announced on an easel outside Buckingham Palace. However, when Prince George and Princess Charlotte were born, the news was also announced publicly on Twitter, and in 2018 the tweet from Kensington Royal was also accompanied by an update on a special page on the British royal family's website, www.royal.uk/baby.
The family also chose Twitter to publicly revealed the news of Kate's third pregnancy in October last year.
Following a short break from royal duties when she was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a form of severe sickness, Kate continued with royal engagements throughout the pregnancy, finishing with a visit to St Luke's Community Centre and a SportsAid event, in east London, on March 22.
The first photos of the baby will be taken when the family leave the hospital. Prince George was pictured in his mother's arms leaving hospital the day after he was born.
Princess Charlotte was first introduced to the world on the day of her birth.
The baby's name is likely to be announced in a few days time – both George Alexander Louis and Charlotte Elizabeth Diana were announced two days after their births.
Most members of the royal family do not use a surname. The royal website reads: "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."
Prince George is thought to have been been using the surname Cambridge at school, or so the nametag on his schoolbag suggested.
Queen Elizbeth, who turned 91 on Apri 21, is officially the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She has ruled the U.K. for more than 65 years.
The new baby is the third grandchild for heir to the throne Prince Charles. Next in line is Prince William, and then Prince George, followed by Princess Charlotte, who is fourth in line to the throne, as the rules of royal succession have changed significantly in recent years. Leaders of 16 British Commonwealth countries (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Jamaica) voted in 2011 to alter the tradition to include daughters, who could previously only inherit the throne if there were no living sons.
The changes, under the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, came into force in March 2015, but apply to people born after October 28, 2011.
The Line Of Succession
1. The Prince of Wales
2. The Duke of Cambridge
3. Prince George of Cambridge
4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
5. New baby6. Prince Henry of Wales
7. The Duke of York
8. Princess Beatrice of York
9. Princess Eugenie of York
10. The Earl of Wessex
11. Viscount Severn
12. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
13. The Princess Royal
14. Mr. Peter Phillips
15. Miss Savannah Phillips
16. Miss Isla Phillips
17. Mrs. Michael TindallSource: https://www.royal.uk/succession
The royal baby was born in the same hospital as his siblings and his father. Prince William was born there on June 21, 1982 and was photographed in Princess Diana's arms in the same spot as his own children.
Prince Harry was also born in St Mary's on September 15, 1984, as were Peter and Zara Philips.
Queen Elizabeth was born by caesarean section in her maternal grandparents' London home. Sir George Pinker, royal gynaecologist and obstetrician from 1973 until 1990, was responsible for moving royal births from palaces to a hospital setting. He delivered nine royal babies in the Lindo Wing, including Princes William and Harry, as well as the children of Princess Anne, the Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Michael of Kent.