It's a prince! Royal baby finally arrives
3 hours ago
It's a prince!
The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth Monday to her first child, an 8-pound, 6 ounce boy at 4:24 local time (11: 24 ET).
The palace revealed the news via press release at 8 p.m. local time following a hospital stay that lasted more than 14 hours at London's St. Mary's Hospital, the same facility where Princes William and Harry were born.
The baby's birth was to be announced to the world in a formal declaration placed in front of Buckingham Palace on an easel, the same one used to announce Prince William's birth 31 years ago. But the palace released the news to the media first, indicating that the formal notice would be posted later Monday evening.
"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight," the statement read.
The name of the baby, the palace said, will be announced "in due course."
The infant will be third in line to the British throne, after his father and grandfather, Prince Charles. He is the first grandchild for both Prince Charles and the Middleton family.
Duchess Kate, 31, was admitted to St Mary's in the early stages of labor Monday shortly before 6 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET).
According to NBC News' Jim Maceda, photographers reported seeing royal vehicles at a back entrance to St. Mary's Hospital at about 6 a.m. local time. About 90 minutes later, royal officials confirmed Duchess Kate, 31, traveled from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing of the hospital via car, not an ambulance.
St. Mary's Hospital is where Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William in 1982 and to his brother, Prince Harry, in 1984. The birth of William and Kate's child was overseen by a medical team that includes Marcus Setchell, 69, the Queen's former gynecologist, and her current gynecologist, Alan Farthing.
The baby's uncle, Prince Harry, remained at his military base in eastern England.
In England, thousands of Britons placed wagers on any possible detail related to the baby over the past several weeks. Interest around the world also surged as Kate drew closer to her due date, with many countries making arrangements to publicly celebrate the baby's birth.
In addition to keeping the world anxiously awaiting, the royal baby watch also kept the monarchy restless.
"I hope it arrives soon because I'm going on holiday," Queen Elizabeth joked during a July 17 visit with schoolchildren.
Just days earlier while touring a children's hospice, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, also spoke about her hopes that the future king or queen would arrive.
"We're all waiting at the end of the telephone," she told the crowd.
Meanwhile, Camilla's husband expressed his eagerness about becoming a first-time grandfather.
During his annual tour of Wales, a visibly excited Prince Charles took tips from a ladies' group and spoke about his plans for being an involved grandparent.
"The great thing is to encourage them. Show them things to take their interest. My grandmother did that, she was wonderful."
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge married in April 2011, prompting almost immediate speculation over when they would have their first child. In December 2012, the world learned of the couple's pregnancy when Kate was hospitalized for several nights because of a severe form of morning sickness.
After a brief respite, the duchess returned to a schedule filled with charity visits and other public events. At every appearance, the media seized upon what she wore in search of an emerging baby bump.
Just as she did before her pregnancy, Kate made headlines for what she wore as much as for what she did. Her maternity wear, along with the items the press caught her buying for the baby's nursery, sparked a buying craze by other expectant moms.
Video: On June 22, 1982, NBC's Rick Davis reported on the birth of Prince William the day before, which a "relieved" Prince Charles described as "a shock to my system" and "rather a grown-up thing" to a crowd of well-wishers gathered outside the hospital.
This updated story was originally published at 2:37 a.m. ET. TODAY's Jillian Eugenios contributed to this story.
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