The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared with the new prince outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London

THE BBC has defended its coverage of the royal baby after viewers complained there was too much of it and it was too unbalanced in favour of the Royal Family.

It said "care" had been taken to ensure other stories were covered alongside the latest royal arrival and added that the story had been "extremely popular" with audiences.

The corporation said its coverage, including the announcement of the birth and the appearance of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the new prince, "received complaints from some viewers who feel there has been too much coverage of the royal baby story and also from some who feel that the coverage has been biased in favour of the monarchy".

A statement on the BBC's complaints website said: "Monday was the biggest global day and second biggest UK day ever for BBC News Online, with 19.4 million unique browsers globally and 10.8 million from the UK.

"We are satisfied that our audiences had both the best coverage of a major historical event - the birth of a new heir to the throne - as well as options to view other news across BBC output as a whole.

"We have also been careful to feature a range of contributors and opinions across our coverage, including those who do not support the monarchy or the attention this event has received. This included featuring the opinions of Republic, which campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, and a number of other voices."

Online Editors