Birth of William and Kate’s third child is announced to public by Kensington Palace with a tweet

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated the birth of their third child on Monday; a boy who becomes fifth in line to the throne.

The child, whose name has not yet been announced, was born at 11.01am and weighed 8lbs 7oz (3.8kg), Kensington Palace said. His mother, Kate, was said to be doing well and was due to leave hospital on Monday evening. His father, William, was present for the birth.

Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 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.

The young prince’s elder brother and sister arrived at the central London hospital to visit him shortly after his birth and the royal family was said to be overjoyed to welcome its newest member.

“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,” the palace said on Monday.

About five hours after the birth, Prince William left the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s hospital in the Paddington area of London to collect the couple’s other two children, four-year-old Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who turns three on 2 May.

William appeared to tell reporters, “Back in a minute”, before driving away in a Land Rover Discovery.



George, who has spent the day at school and was dressed in his school uniform, appeared a little shy, but Charlotte waved at the cameras twice, turning to do so and smiling as she walked up the steps.

Kensington Palace said the baby’s name would be “announced in due course”, but Arthur is already the favourite with punters, according to bookmakers.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A notice placed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in London to formally announce the birth of a baby boy to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Kensington Palace announced the baby’s arrival in a statement shortly after 1pm and a formal notice of the birth was placed in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace on an ornate golden easel.



The public proclamation – on foolscap paper set in a dark wooden frame – used to be handwritten, but is now typed. A celebratory over-sized Union Flag was raised over the roof of the palace.

The prime minister, Theresa May, said:

UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) "My warmest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby boy. I wish them great happiness for the future." - PM @theresa_may

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, offered his congratulations:

Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) Congratulations to Kate and William on the birth of their baby boy. I wish them all the very best.

The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “The birth of a new baby is a special and joyful time for any family – my congratulations and best wishes to William, Catherine and the new baby’s (no doubt very excited) big brother and sister on this happy occasion.”

The couple’s third child, the Queen’s sixth great-grandchild, was born on the day dedicated to Saint George, the patron saint of one of the nations the young prince could one day rule – England.



The arrival of a baby boy was a surprise for his parents, who had chosen not to find out what they were having until the birth.



A huge media presence gathered outside the Lindo Wing in anticipation. A group of monarchy enthusiasts and tourists was also present, both there and at Buckingham Palace. David Janzen, who was visiting the UK from Edmonton, in Canada, was among those who gathered outside the Queen’s official residence on Monday afternoon.

“I was watching the news earlier and saw the announcement, so my wife and I decided to come down to Buckingham Palace and see it all happen,” said the 62-year-old.

Terry Hutt, who is in his 80s, had been camped outside the central London hospital awaiting the new arrival for more than a week.



John Loughrey, from Streatham, south London, was also part of a group who had camped outside the hospital. “We are so pleased,” he said. “We have been here for 15 days. I’m so pleased it’s St George’s Day. St George himself would be very pleased if the baby’s born today. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl as long as it’s a healthy baby and a healthy mother.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Supporters of the royal family celebrate outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, including Terry Hutt (c) and John Loughrey (r). Photograph: Hannah Mckay/Reuters

Loughrey said he planned to celebrate the birth with England flags and a portion of fish and chips. Those at the hospital were also treated to the sight of an unofficial town crier announcing the birth. The self-proclaimed royalist town crier, Tony Appleton, is not an official part of the birth announcement, but has made it a habit to turn up in costume at the hospital whenever the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth.

After William and Kate opted for the traditional names George and Charlotte for their first two children, Arthur – one of William’s father’s middle names – is the favourite with bookmakers, then Albert, Frederick, James and Philip.

In a stunt, a waxwork model of Queen Elizabeth II was driven past the hospital in a black taxi, and the political artist Kaya Mar arrived with a painting of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children posing in a biblical scene reminiscent of the nativity.

The crew of the HMS Albion celebrated by posing for a photograph with sailors and Royal Marines forming the word “Boy!” on the ship’s flight deck. The vessel was deployed to the Asia-Pacific region earlier this month.