May 2, 2015
LONDON – The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a daughter, the first Princess of Cambridge to be born for more than 180 years.
London: Prince William, Kate blessed with a baby girl
May 2, 2015
LONDON – The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a daughter, the first Princess of Cambridge to be born for more than 180 years.
London: Prince William, Kate blessed with a baby girl
The new baby was born at 8.34am weighing 8lbs 3oz – three ounces lighter than her older brother Prince George. The Duke of Cambridge attended the birth at the private Lindo Wing at St Mary’s hospital in London.
The daughter for Prince William and Kate is the fourth in line to the throne and the Queen’s fifth great-grandchild. She will be the first to take the title of princess for 25 years and will also be the highest ranking female in line to the throne. A girl has not been born this high up the line of succession in the UK for nearly 65 years, since Princess Anne was born.
In a statement, Kensington Palace said: “Her royal highness the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34am. The baby weighs 8lbs 3oz.
“The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.
“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.
“Her royal highness and her child are both doing well.”
An easel is placed in the forecourt of Buckingham palace to announce the birth of the royal baby. Photograph: Steve Parsons/AP
The duchess was admitted to the hospital in the early stages of labour at 6am. Only once members of both families had been informed was the news made public, at 11.09am. The duchess’s labour was far shorter than for her first child – Prince George took more than 10 hours to be born.
She was believed to have been around one week overdue, but in the end the birth appeared to happen swiftly .
Royals who are set to inherit the world
The birth was overseen by a medical team led by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, surgeon-gynaecologist to the royal household, who was assisted by Alan Farthing, surgeon gynaecologist to the Queen. Both medics were present at George’s birth in July 2013.
Town crier Tony Appleton announces the birth of the Cambridges’ second child outside St Mary’s hospital.
There were cheers from the crowd gathered outside the hospital when the announcement was made. Some had been camping for almost two weeks in anticipation of the birth.
A bulletin, printed with the details of the delivery, was placed on an ornate gold easel erected by two footmen in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace. It said the duchess was “delivered” of a daughter and gave the time of birth.
Clarence House said the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were “absolutely delighted”. Other members of the Windsor and Middleton families were informed, including the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Harry, who is in Australia.
Prime minister David Cameron posted on Twitter: “Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby girl. I’m absolutely delighted for them.
Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted: “Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess on the birth of their daughter. Wishing them lots of joy and happiness – and hopefully some sleep”.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, was invited in to a voter’s house to watch the announcement on TV. “On the doorstep in Sheffield. Thanks to the kind constituents who invited me in to see the great royal baby news being announced on their TV,” he tweeted.
The baby is the first to use the title princess since Princess Eugenie, 25, younger daughter of the Duke of York. The last Princess of Cambridge was Princess Mary Adelaide, George III’s granddaughter, born 182 years ago in Hanover, Germany and known affectionately as “Fat Mary” because of her large girth.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage said he urged his party’s candidates to “take at least an hour out of campaigning in order to toast the new arrival. “I shall certainly be setting an example in that regard. After all, some things are worth interrupting politics for,” he said.
The duchess went on maternity leave on 27 March after carrying out her last official public engagement. Prince William is not due back at work until 1 June.
Earlier in the week the duke and duchess sent breakfast to around 10 hardcore royal fans, much photographed by news-starved media as they kept vigil outside St Mary’s hospital. Two boxes of croissants and pastries were wrapped in a pink ribbon, which sent the fans in to paroxysms of speculation that it was a girl.
While a due date was never confirmed by Kensington Palace, the indications were that the baby was probably overdue by several days.
Originally parking suspension notices for a “special event” outside the hospital ran from 15 to 30 April. In the likelihood that officials had allowed a wide margin either side of the due date, it would seem those in the know had expected that event to be over by Thursday.
Eager to avoid the media circus that surrounded Prince George’s birth, the media were prevented from setting up camp outside the hospital until the official announcement that the duchess had been admitted.
Courtesy: The Guardian
