The Duke of Cambridge said he and his wife were “very, very pleased”, but after their exhausting day, which had started with the Duchess’s admission to hospital at 6am, they seemed in a hurry to get home to Kensington Palace, and did not answer questions from the media.
The Duchess, wearing a bespoke yellow and white silk shift dress with buttercup print by Jenny Packham, still had a pronounced baby bump as she said “hello” and waved to a cheering crowd, but looked incredibly fresh, having had a visit in the hospital from her hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker.
The Duke had told his wife to “be careful” as she approached the steps of the Lindo Wing. Once she had safely negotiated them she looked up and said to him: “This is nice. Lots of people out there. Look up there on the top.”
Then, looking at her daughter, she said: “Do you think she’s cold?” The Duke replied: “No, she’s fine, she’s good.” The Duchess, still looking a little concerned, said: “Let’s take her inside.”
By the time they left the hospital, the Princess had already been introduced to her big brother, Prince George, who was taken into the Lindo Wing by his proud father earlier in the afternoon.
EPA
George, as ever, almost stole the show with his appearance, the first time he has “officially” been seen by members of the public in the UK since the day after his birth.
The Duke drove his Range Rover to Kensington Palace to pick him up, returning minutes later and carrying him into the hospital as George obediently waved to the smitten crowd, earning a kiss from his father.
Dressed all in blue, like his son, the Duke told him “good boy” as he carried him inside to meet his little sister.
(Eddie Mulholland)
The Duke of Cambridge, who said even before Prince George was born that he longed for a daughter, the Prince of Wales, who said earlier this week that he was “hoping for a granddaughter”, and the Duchess herself, who also wanted a girl, all got their heart’s desire.
The rest of the country seemed to be in tune with them, judging by the thousands of bets that were placed on the baby being a girl. In fact the only people who did not want a girl were the bookies, who now face collective payouts of £500,000 after the public guessed right.
The baby is the most senior princess to be born into the Royal family since the Princess Royal in 1950, and is now the fourth in line to the throne, after the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George. It means Prince Harry drops down to fifth in line, with every other member of the Royal family also moving down one place.
The baby will be known as Princess [name] of Cambridge, following a rule change brought in by the Queen when the Duchess was pregnant with Prince George. Before the Queen issued new instructions, she would have been given the title “Lady”.
A kiss for George (James Whatling)
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall said they were "absolutely delighted" by the arrival of the new princess. They were thought to have met her at Kensington Palace last night, together with the Duchess’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton, who were seen arriving at the Palace earlier in the day.
The Duchess, who was nine days overdue, was admitted to hospital at 6am, and at 11.07 came the official announcement that she had given birth swiftly and safely.
Kensington Palace said in a statement: “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.”
Sleeping beauty...the baby Princess (PA)
The announcement was made to the media shortly before it appeared on Kensington Palace’s official Twitter feed, as has now become traditional.
It was followed 90 minutes later by the quaint if antiquated formal announcement of the birth on a piece of paper placed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace by duty footmen George Oates, 26, and Simon Garnett, 30.
Tourists who had been at the Palace for the Changing of the Guard quickly formed a queue to take their own pictures of the proclamation.
Among those who had already been told of the birth before the public were Prince Harry, who is in Australia on secondment to the Australian army, and the Queen, who was in Richmond, North Yorkshire with her son the Duke of York to mark the formation of the new Royal Lancers regiment.
David Cameron was among the first to congratulate the couple, saying on Twitter: “Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby girl. I'm absolutely delighted for them.”
(Rupert Hartley)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, said: "It's wonderful news that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a healthy new baby girl.
"Like many here and abroad, I'm delighted for the royal couple on this special day. May God bless them and both of their children with love, health and joy."
President Barack Obama, who has met the Duke and Duchess, 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.”
Outside the Lindo Wing, news of the baby’s birth seemed to overwhelm the royal “superfans” who had been camped out for weeks on the pavement so they could have a grandstand view of the baby’s first public appearance.
The Queen dressed all in pink (PA)
Cheering broke out, and Terry Hutt, who celebrated his 80th birthday outside the hospital earlier in the week, said: "I'm so excited that I can't talk to you all that much.
"It's been a long wait but it's all been worth it."
Attention has already turned to what the Duke and Duchess will call the baby, with Alice the 7/4 favourite at Ladbrokes, Charlotte at 3/1 and Victoria at 5/1, but Olivia making a surprise appearance as the third favourite with William Hill, at 5/1, after a rash of bets on the name following the birth.
The Princess’s birth will also be celebrated by the nation’s fashion retailers, who can expect to make up to £150 million per year when she is older as a result of the intense interest there will be in her style sense.
The first company to benefit from the Princess Cambridge effect was GH Hurt and Son Ltd, the company that made the shawl in which the baby was wrapped when she was carried out by the Duchess.
The formal announcement is placed outside Buckingham Palace (PA)
The company has a long-standing connection with the Royal family and Prince George and The Duke of Cambridge had a similar shawls when they were babies.
As well as being the most senior Princess born for 65 years, the baby is also the first Princess born into the Royal family since Eugenie in 1990, and the first to be born in the age of Twitter, social media and 24-hour news. The Duke and Duchess will undoubtedly be determined to shield her from the intense interest there will be in her as she grows up.
The Queen dressed all in pink for her engagement in Richmond, while national landmarks including Tower Bridge were lit in the same colour and the BT Tower announced “It’s a Girl!” on a giant circular screen around its top.
On a day of surprises, it was the appearance of Prince George that was the most unexpected. The Duke and Duchess are fiercely protective of him, and have never taken him to an official engagement in Britain, but the Duke was clearly in the mood to show off his son and make sure he got his own share of the attention as he picked him up from Kensington Palace.
Back home with the Duke at the wheel
The Duke put his son on the pavement, but after George toddled no more than three steps he reached his arms up and his father picked him up, carrying him to the door as the public waiting on the pavement opposite screamed their approval.
As he put him on the ground and then picked him again, he said to his son: "Look at everybody."
Then he encouraged him to wave, adding: "Can you wave to everybody. Say hello..wave."
He added: "That's a good boy. Wave."
But for those in the crowd who had hoped to see George posing with his mother, father and sister, there was disappointment: Prince George was taken home via a rear entrance of the hospital, perhaps to save that historic picture for another day.
Minutes after the couple first appeared, and having thanked hospital staff, the couple re-emerged, the Duke carrying his daughter in a Britax car seat which he strapped into the back of his Range Rover, before he took the wheel and drove home. The couple were back inside Kensington Palace just twelve and a half hours after they had left.
They will remain there for “a couple of days” before heading to Norfolk and their country mansion Anmer Hall, where they will spend the rest of the month relaxing and getting to know their new daughter before the Duke returns to air ambulance pilot training at the start of June.
The last word of the day came via the Kensington Palace Twitter feed, which published a close-up picture of the Princess with the message: “Welcome to the family.”
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