OMG: The Third Royal Baby Is Finally Here!
It's official! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed a boy at 11:01 a.m. on April 23rd at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London.
The latest addition to the royal family is fifth in line to the throne after Prince George and Princess Charlotte. He weighed 8 pounds and 7 ounces, Kensington Palace announced in a tweet.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs.
The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz.
The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.
Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 23, 2018
The proud parents haven't released the baby's name yet, but expect to hear the announcement soon. Kate Middleton and Prince William waited almost two days after the birth of Princess Charlotte to share her name back in 2015. Current odds-on favorites for their third child include James, Albert and Arthur. Royal babies often receive multiple middle names as well, but no official surname.
The baby automatically receives the title "His Royal Highness Prince of Cambridge" due to a special decree issued by Queen Elizabeth in 2012. The letters patent (a type of legal document) stated that all of Prince William's children would become prince or princesses, while the previous rule only gave sons that distinction.
Kensington Palace announced the Duchess's pregnancy before the typical benchmark of 12 weeks due to her hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).
This extreme form of morning sickness also affected her previous two pregnancies, with symptoms like severe vomiting, constant nausea, dehydration, and weight loss during the first trimester. Luckily Kate looked happy and healthy the past few months, making public engagements up until March 22nd, when she took maternity leave.
The Duke, Duchess, and their new child will likely appear for a photo-op outside of the Lindo Wing soon per royal tradition. Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Harry, and Prince William all made their public debuts this way.
The new prince has already made British history because of 2013's Succession to the Crown Act. The legislation ended the previous tradition of younger male heirs taking precedence over older sisters, meaning this baby couldn't "bump" Princess Charlotte from her place at fourth, no matter the sex. Prince Harry is now sixth in line to the throne after this latest addition to the family.
The Duke, Duchess, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte will all likely attend his and Meghan Markle's wedding on May 19th, but the new baby will probably stay at home, Expresspredicts. Not only do the parents not want their infant to start crying during the ceremony (yikes!), but the presence of the newborn might also detract attention from the couple's big day.
No matter - the world will catch another glimpse of the new royal baby at another big occasion this spring: the christening!
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