UK

First pictures of the royal baby boy

 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their newborn son outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. Picture byJohn Stillwell/PA Wire
 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their newborn son outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. Picture byJohn Stillwell/PA Wire  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their newborn son outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. Picture byJohn Stillwell/PA Wire

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have introduced their baby boy to the world.

He was born today weighing 8lbs 7oz.

Kate, wife of the Duke of Cambridge Prince William, had been admitted to hospital in Paddington, London this morning.

The birth was announced by Kensington Palace this afternoon..

The baby prince is fifth in line to the throne in England, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's sixth great-grandchild and a younger brother for Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Kensington Palace said: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, earlier this morning in the early stages of labour.

"The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge."

The duchess is being cared for by consultant obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston, who is the surgeon-gynaecologist to the household, and consultant gynaecologist Alan Farthing, the Queen's surgeon-gynaecologist - part of the trusted team who delivered George and Charlotte.

For her previous births, Kate had a 23-strong team of top medics working or on stand-by from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust - which runs St Mary's Hospital.

Theatre staff were ready, along with a lab technician, replacement anaesthetists and paediatricians, a back-up for the consultant, and workers from a special baby care unit.

With George, the duchess gave birth 10-and-a-half hours after being admitted to hospital, but Charlotte was born just two hours and 34 minutes after Kate arrived at the Lindo Wing.

Predicted names include Arthur, Albert, Frederick, James and Philip.

George and Charlotte visited the hospital to see their mother and baby sibling, just as George did when his younger sister was born three years ago.

The duchess's pregnancy was announced by Kensington Palace on September 4 last year.

Kate again suffered from extreme pregnancy sickness hyperemesis gravidarum.

She went on maternity leave on March 22, but the duchess - and her large bump - attended an Easter Sunday church service in Windsor with the royals on April 1.

She has joked that William is "in denial" about having a third child.

Although the Queen has four children, the duke is the first future king to have a third for more than 120 years.

In 1897, George V, then the Duke of York, welcomed a daughter - Princess Mary - the younger sister of Edward VIII and George VI.

Unlike William, George V never expected to be king and only became heir to throne when his older brother, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, died from flu in 1892.