Royal baby: Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to baby girl
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Version 0 of 1. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge presented their new daughter to the world for the first time early on Saturday evening as they left hospital just 10 hours after the birth of their second child. The new Princess of Cambridge slept soundly cradled in her mother’s arms as the couple posed on the steps of the private Lindo wing at St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, London. Earlier, Prince George was the only visitor as he was taken to see his mother and be introduced to his baby sister, who was born at 8.34am, weighing 8lbs 3oz. Crowds cheered wildly as William, who had briefly returned to Kensington Palace to pick up his son, carried the infant prince up the hospital steps, with George, looking a little overawed, managing a small royal wave. The duke proclaimed the couple to be “very happy”. The duchess had been admitted to hospital in the “early stages of labour” at 6am and the duke attended the birth. Their daughter 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.” The news was made public once members of both families had been informed, 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 . 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. 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”. 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. Barack Obama and his First Lady Michelle added their congratulations to the Cambridges on Saturday night. In a statement the US president said: “Michelle and I are delighted to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Her Majesty the Queen and the royal family, and all the people of the United Kingdom on the birth of the royal princess. “On behalf of the American people, we wish the Duke and Duchess and their son George much joy and happiness on the occasion of the arrival of the newest member of their family.” 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 into 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. |