LONDON - Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth Monday to a boy, a much-anticipated royal baby descended from kings and coal miners and third in line to the British throne.
The royal heir was born at 4:24 p.m. London time and weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces, the royal family announced. There was no immediate word on the boy’s name.
The official announcement said Prince William was present for the birth. It added: “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.”
It said the duchess and her child “are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.”
In a brief statement earlier Monday, officials at Kensington Palace said the royal formerly known as Kate Middleton was driven in a car to the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital near Paddington Station in West London, where the world media have been camped out for weeks in the hopes of getting a first glimpse of the littlest heir. Prince William rode with his wife to the hospital and remained by her side, a palace spokesman said.
Although that initial statement was issued at 7:29 a.m. local time, Catherine was admitted during the early stages of labor just before 6 a.m., the spokesman said. She is in the same wing of the hospital where Diana, Princess of Wales, gave birth to Prince William 31 years ago after a 16-hour labor
The attending physician was Marcus Setchell, Queen Elizabeth II’s gynecologist, who reportedly put off retirement and went on a no-alcohol diet to prepare. As dictated by tradition, the palace made no further comment before the birth.
Apparently concerned about being scooped by leaks on social media, the palace made a late change in the way it would notify the world of the birth. Initially, an official announcement was to be written up by medical staff members and sent by royal messenger to Buckingham Palace for posting behind its central gates. Though the posting of the official announcement would still happen, the palace said it would first issue a speedier electronic news release to disseminate the news “as quickly and simply as possible.”
While royal-watchers here endlessly debated whether Kate might be “too posh to push” and therefore choose to have a cesarean section, palace officials insisted that, barring complications, she wanted to avoid surgery.
The baby’s arrival triggered a well-choreographed notification ritual. An official, embossed announcement was prepared and signed by medical staff members. It was then taken by messenger, under police escort, to Buckingham Palace, where it was posted on a gilded easel just inside the central gates.
There, the media and well-wishers gathered for the first public disclosure of details, including the baby’s gender, which even the expectant parents chose not to know ahead of time. A 41-gun salute in London’s Green Park, followed by a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London, were scheduled later to hail the arrival of a third direct heir to the throne.
But in an era of Twitter and Facebook - and with a ravenous worldwide audience hungry for instant facts - it was a challenge for the palace to keep the royal lid on things long enough for all that pomp and circumstance.
In the hours leading up to Catherine’s hospitalization, journalists had tweeted and blogged about even the slightest clue that the duchess was ready to give birth. Inquiring minds then watched for any random tweet from within the medical compound that might suggest a leak with details of the birth.
Palace officials acknowledged that such an unauthorized release of information could prompt them to breach protocol and issue a tweet and an electronic news release of their own.
In the street outside the Lindo Wing of the hospital, the media hordes were joined by dozens of gawking tourists giving smartphone salutes to the now-familiar brick facade of the exclusive wing, where the total cost of a birth can exceed $18,000.
Marketers were already moving to cash in on a baby expected to generate a miniboom in everything from sales of champagne to collectible china.
Information for this article was contributed by Karla Adam of The Washington Post.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 07/23/2013