By Laura Smith-Spark
CNN
LONDON (CNN) — 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
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 son. Catherine
held the child, wrapped in a cream-
colored blanket, as the couple waved
to well-wishers outside.
“He’s got her looks, thankfully,” the
prince added.
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 Kensington Palace.
“Their Royal Highnesses would like
to reiterate their thanks to the
hospital for the care and treatment
they have all received,” a statement
from the palace read.
The boy was born at 4:24 p.m.
Monday, weighing 8 pounds, 6
ounces. The new parents remained
in the private Lindo Wing of St.
Mary’s Hospital in London overnight.
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William’s father, Prince Charles,
came to the hospital for a brief visit
with his first grandchild Tuesday
evening, accompanied by his wife
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. He
told reporters it was “marvelous.”
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.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said:
“Mother, son and father are all
doing well this morning.” Queen
Elizabeth II’s gynecologist, Marcus
Setchell, is at the hospital carrying
out medical assessments of
Catherine following the birth, the
palace said earlier.
Bells, gun salutes
Meanwhile, guardsmen at
Buckingham Palace, the queen’s
residence, played the Cliff Richard
song “Congratulations” to mark the
birth of the royal baby at the
Changing of the Guard. The military
ceremony, much beloved of tourists,
involves a new guard exchanging
duty with the old guard in the
palace forecourt.
Crowds were gathered again outside
Buckingham Palace, a day after they
thronged there to see the formal
notice announcing the baby’s birth.
Multigun salutes were also staged
Tuesday afternoon to welcome the
new royal heir. The King’s Troop
Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park
released 41 rounds, 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 Kate 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 celebrations 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.
Social media networks were also
abuzz with the news, which made
headlines around the world.
‘We could not be happier’
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.
Further 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 baby is third in line for the
throne now occupied by the queen.
Her son, Charles, will succeed her,
followed by his son, William.
Royal joy
Members of the royal family
expressed their happiness at the
safe delivery.
“Both my wife and I are overjoyed at
the arrival of my first grandchild. It
is an incredibly special moment for
William and Catherine, and we are
so thrilled for them on the birth of
their baby boy,” Prince Charles and
wife Camilla said in a statement.
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 to 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.”
Tributes around the world
Thanks to a change agreed by the
leaders of the Commonwealth
countries in 2011 and passed into
law this year, the baby’s place in
the order of succession would have
been the same regardless of gender.
Previously, boys automatically
trumped female siblings, so a first-
born daughter could be pushed out
of line by a younger brother.
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 #
WelcometotheWorld.
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