- The public got its first view of the new heir to the British throne
Tuesday as Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, left
a London hospital with their newborn son.
"It's very special," said
William, who emerged from St. Mary's Hospital with his wife a day after
the birth of their still-unnamed boy. Catherine held the child, wrapped
in a cream-colored blanket, as the couple waved to well-wishers
outside.
The couple is "still
working on a name," William said, "so we'll have that as soon as we
can." But he added, "He's got her looks, thankfully."
The prince has already changed his first diaper, the couple told reporters.
"It's very emotional. It's such a special time," Catherine said.
Photos: First look at the royal baby
The couple left the
hospital Tuesday evening with William carrying the boy out in a car seat
and installing him in the back of a black SUV for the trip to their
residence at Kensington Palace. They walked out down the same steps
where Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Charles gave the world its
first sighting of Prince William 31 years ago.
Shortly before the couple
left the hospital, Charles stopped by for a brief visit with his first
grandchild, accompanied by his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
He told reporters it was "marvelous."
And Catherine's parents,
Carole and Michael Middleton, visited earlier, with Carole Middleton
telling reporters the royal baby is "absolutely beautiful."
She said both mother and baby are doing "really well" and that she and her husband were "so thrilled" at being grandparents.
The 8-pound, 6-ounce boy
was born Monday afternoon. He's third in line, behind Charles and
William, for the British throne now held by his great-grandmother, Queen
Elizabeth II.
Tuesday, London echoed with the sound of cannonades and music to mark the birth.
Guardsmen at Buckingham
Palace, the queen's residence, played the Cliff Richard song
"Congratulations" at the Changing of the Guard. The military ceremony,
much beloved by tourists, involves a new guard exchanging duty with the
old guard in the palace forecourt.
The King's Troop Royal
Horse Artillery in Green Park fired 41 shots in tribute to the boy,
while the Honorable Artillery Company at the Tower of London fired 62
rounds.
The 8-pound, 6-ounce boy
was born Monday afternoon. He's third in line, behind Charles and
William, for the British throne now held by his great-grandmother, Queen
Elizabeth II.
Tuesday, London echoed with the sound of cannonades and music to mark the birth.
Guardsmen at Buckingham
Palace, the queen's residence, played the Cliff Richard song
"Congratulations" at the Changing of the Guard. The military ceremony,
much beloved by tourists, involves a new guard exchanging duty with the
old guard in the palace forecourt.
The King's Troop Royal
Horse Artillery in Green Park fired 41 shots in tribute to the boy,
while the Honorable Artillery Company at the Tower of London fired 62
rounds.
At the same time the
bells of Westminster Abbey, where William and Catherine were married in
April 2011, began to peal, in keeping with royal tradition, and were set
to continue for more than three hours.
The news of the boy's
birth, announced about four hours after the event Monday, prompted
cheers and celebration among the crowds of well-wishers outside
Buckingham Palace. At least one group of well-wishers brought flowers,
champagne and a card for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Photos: Reaction to royal baby
Growing up royal
The 8-pound, 6-ounce boy
was born Monday afternoon. He's third in line, behind Charles and
William, for the British throne now held by his great-grandmother, Queen
Elizabeth II.
Tuesday, London echoed with the sound of cannonades and music to mark the birth.
Guardsmen at Buckingham
Palace, the queen's residence, played the Cliff Richard song
"Congratulations" at the Changing of the Guard. The military ceremony,
much beloved by tourists, involves a new guard exchanging duty with the
old guard in the palace forecourt.
The King's Troop Royal
Horse Artillery in Green Park fired 41 shots in tribute to the boy,
while the Honorable Artillery Company at the Tower of London fired 62
rounds.
At the same time the
bells of Westminster Abbey, where William and Catherine were married in
April 2011, began to peal, in keeping with royal tradition, and were set
to continue for more than three hours.
The news of the boy's
birth, announced about four hours after the event Monday, prompted
cheers and celebration among the crowds of well-wishers outside
Buckingham Palace. At least one group of well-wishers brought flowers,
champagne and a card for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Photos: Reaction to royal baby
The new parents spent
some time with their baby before calling family members -- starting with
the queen -- to announce the birth, a Kensington Palace source told CNN
royal correspondent Max Foster.
"We could not be happier," said Prince William, according to the Kensington Palace source.
Prince William remained
at Catherine's side throughout the labor, and the baby was born
naturally. An official bulletin was placed on a gilded easel outside
Buckingham Palace.
The celebrations for the
arrival of the new prince -- whose title will be His Royal Highness
Prince (the baby's name) of Cambridge -- were hard to miss in the
capital.
The fountains at
Trafalgar Square were dyed blue; the BT Tower, a London landmark,
flashed the words "It's a boy;" and the London Eye was illuminated in
patriotic red, white and blue.
Farther afield, Canada
-- where the British monarch is head of state -- turned its side of the
Niagara Falls blue to mark the birth, and the CN Tower in Toronto was
lit up the same color.
Betting on a name
It was a long wait for
the media camped outside St. Mary's Hospital, but when the news of the
birth finally came, the excitement of the moment was huge.
The Sun newspaper,
Britain's best-selling tabloid daily, changed its masthead Tuesday to
"The Son" to mark the occasion, above a picture of the official birth
announcement, while the Daily Express and Telegraph emblazoned "It's a
boy" across their front pages.
Recognizing that
excitement over the prince's arrival is not universal, the Guardian
newspaper's website lets users switch to a royal baby-free version of
the home page. The front page of UK satirical magazine Private Eye
simply says: "Woman has baby."
Many bets are being
placed as the wait continues for the baby's name to be announced.
British bookmakers Ladbrokes have James as favorite, followed by Henry
and George, Philip, Alexander and Richard.
The baby's name may be
announced when the family leaves the hospital, CNN's Foster reported.
William's name was announced a few days after birth; his brother Harry's
on departure from hospital.
Some British parents
have delayed naming their newborns in recent days in hopes of either
copying or avoiding the royal name, he said.
The official British
Monarchy Twitter feed said: "The Queen and Prince Philip are delighted
at the news of the birth of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby."
Charles Spencer, brother
of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, welcomed the birth of the baby.
"We're all so pleased: it's wonderful news," he said in a statement.
"My father always told
us how Diana was born on just such a blisteringly hot day, at
Sandringham, in July 1961. It's another very happy summer's day, half a
century on."
British Prime Minister
David Cameron said, "It is an important moment in the life of our
nation, but I suppose above all, it's a wonderful moment for a warm and
loving couple who got a brand new baby boy."
The British monarch is
also head of state in 15 Commonwealth countries, including Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, Belize and Jamaica.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his country's congratulations on the birth of a future king.
"The arrival of the
newest member of the Royal Family, a future Sovereign of Canada, is a
highly anticipated moment for Canadians given the special and warm
relationship that we share with our Royal Family," he said in a
statement.
Barack and Michelle Obama also gave their best wishes.
"The child enters the
world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations," the
president and first lady said in a statement. "Given the special
relationship between us, the American people are pleased to join with
the people of the United Kingdom as they celebrate the birth of the
young prince."
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also sent their congratulations.
On Twitter, topics
related to the royal baby jumped to the top of the trending list in the
United Kingdom on Monday morning. Worldwide, hashtags such as
#RoyalBabyBoy and #Will & Kate were trending later Monday.
In a nod to modern times, Clarence House called for people to send news and images of any other new arrivals using the hashtag
culled from www.cnn.com
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