Kate and William bring home royal baby boy
July 24, 2013 -- Updated 0120 GMT (0920 HKT)
Big day for Britain's newest royal
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: William and Catherine take their newborn prince home "like a normal couple"
- William has changed his first diaper, but the royal couple is "still working on a name"
- Catherine's parents are thrilled to meet baby, say he is "absolutely beautiful"
- Ceremonial gun salutes and peals of bells for the new prince resound across London
Of course, most normal
couples don't have a crowd of reporters, photographers and random
well-wishers waiting for them to show off their new baby.
Prince William and
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, emerged from St. Mary's Hospital in
London on Tuesday evening to give the public its first view of the new
heir to the British throne, joking that the still-unnamed boy had more
hair than his father. Catherine and William took turns holding the
child, wrapped in a cream-colored blanket, as they waved to well-wishers
outside.
Photos: First look at the royal baby
What will royal baby's name be?
Photos: Reaction to royal baby
William, Kate and baby leave hospital
The couple is "still
working on a name," William said, "so we'll have that as soon as we
can." But he added, "He's got her looks, thankfully."
The prince has already changed his first diaper, the couple told reporters.
"It's very emotional. It's such a special time," Catherine said.
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. Then he got behind
the wheel for the trip to their residence at Kensington Palace.
On their way out, they
walked out down the same steps where Diana, Princess of Wales, and
Prince Charles gave the world its first look at Prince William 31 years
ago.
"It was so exciting. It
was fantastic," said Eliza Wells, one of those gathered outside the
hospital. "The crowd erupted, because everyone's been waiting so long
for it."
William and Catherine
"both seemed very relaxed, even with the press there and the crowd,"
Wells said. "They just seemed like a normal couple."
Shortly before the
departure, Charles stopped by for a brief visit with his first
grandchild, accompanied by his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
He told reporters it was "marvelous."
And 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.
Bells, gun salutes
The 8-pound, 6-ounce boy
was born Monday afternoon. He's third in line, behind Charles and
William, for the British throne now held by his great-grandmother, Queen
Elizabeth II.
Tuesday, London echoed with the sound of cannonades and music to mark the birth.
Guardsmen at Buckingham
Palace, the queen's residence, played the Cliff Richard song
"Congratulations" at the Changing of the Guard. The military ceremony,
much beloved by tourists, involves a new guard exchanging duty with the
old guard in the palace forecourt.
The King's Troop Royal
Horse Artillery in Green Park fired 41 shots in tribute to the boy,
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 Catherine 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 celebration 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.
Farther 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.
How Americans can honor royal baby
Arbiter: It took me back 31 years
Will and Kate: Modern royal parents?
Kate follows in Diana's footsteps
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.
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.
Royal joy
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
of 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
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
U.S. 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.
CNN's Atika Shubert, Dana Ford, Sarah
Aarthun, Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva, Susannah Palk and Alla Eshchenko, and
journalist David Simpson contributed to this report.
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