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The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a son at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital in London.
Key points:
- Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third child, a boy, was born at 11.01am UK time (8.01pm Australian time)
- The prince is now fifth-in-line to the British throne, behind his siblings, his father Prince William and grandfather Prince Charles
- Bookmakers have Albert, Arthur, Jack and Fred as the favourite names for the prince
The baby is now the fifth-in-line to the British throne.
The royal baby weighs 8lbs 7oz (about 3.8kg).
The palace says the child was born at 11:01am (8pm Australian time), a few hours after Kate was admitted to London's St Mary's Hospital in labour.
Prince William was present for the birth of his son.
The palace says "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."
The new prince is Queen Elizabeth's sixth great-grandchild and fifth-in-line to the British throne behind siblings Prince George, 4, his two-year-old sister Princess Charlotte, their father William, and grandfather and heir Prince Charles.
A 2013 change to the law means the boy will not supplant older sister Charlotte in the line of succession.
"That would in fact be the first time that has ever happened," royal historian Huge Vickers said.
However, William's younger brother Harry, who marries US actress Meghan Markle next month, falls to sixth on the list.
Kensington Palace said the name of the new royal would be announced in due course.
Bookmakers had made Albert, Arthur, Jack and Fred the favourite names for a boy.
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday congratulated Prince William and his wife Kate on the birth of a boy.
"My warmest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby boy," Mrs May said.
"I wish them great happiness for the future."
In keeping with tradition, the official announcement of the birth will be made by placing a notice on an easel in the forecourt of the Queen's London home, Buckingham Palace.
William and Kate met as students at St Andrews University in Scotland. They were married in a pageant-packed ceremony at Westminster Abbey in April 2011 and have since become well-known across the globe.
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 chasing paparazzi.
Photo:
A notice announcing the prince's birth was placed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace. (AP)
As in her previous pregnancies, Kate suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness. Officials announced both her previous pregnancies before the traditional 12-week mark because she was too unwell to attend public engagements.
The birth was overseen by a team of doctors including consultant obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston and consultant gynaecologist Alan Farthing — who were also called in for the births of George and Charlotte — as well as the hospital's midwives.
Television crews, journalists and royal fans had set up camp outside the hospital for the "royal baby watch" since early April in anticipation of the arrival.
ABC/Wires
Topics: human-interest, royal-and-imperial-matters, children, family-and-children, united-kingdom
First posted