'It's magic': Prince Harry and Meghan show off baby son

WINDSOR -- Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan showed off their newborn son on Wednesday, describing having a baby as "magic."

Cradling his son, wrapped in a white blanket and wearing a hat, Harry and Meghan appeared before a small group of media at St George's Hall in Windsor castle where they held their wedding reception just under a year ago.

"It's magic - it's pretty amazing and I have the two best guys in the world so I am really happy," Meghan said when asked how she was finding being a new mother.

She said the boy, the seventh-in-line to the British throne who has not yet been publicly named, had the sweetest temperament and was sleeping well.

"He's just been a dream so it's been a special couple of days."

The baby was born in the early hours of Monday morning, weighing 7 lb 3 oz, but few other details have been given about the birth.

"It's great, parenting is amazing," Harry said. "It's only been two-and-a-half days, three days, but we're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy, to be able to spend some precious time with him as he slowly starts to grow up."

The couple said they were about to visit 93-year-old Elizabeth, the world's longest-reigning monarch, at the castle to allow her to meet her eighth great-grandchild.

Meghan's mother Doria Ragland is staying with the couple at their home Frogmore Cottage, on the castle's estate.

"It will a nice moment to introduce the baby to more family and my mum's with us as well," Meghan said. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

UK's Duchess of Sussex Meghan gives birth to a boy

WINDSOR - Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, gave birth to a boy on Monday, Harry announced.

The baby, seventh-in-line to the British throne, "is absolutely to die for," the prince told reporters.

In a formal announcement on their official Instagram account the royal couple said they "welcomed their firstborn child in the early morning on May 6th, 2019. Their Royal Highnesses’ son weighs 7lbs. 3oz". (3.2 kg)

"The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well, and the couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives. More details will be shared in the forthcoming days."

Queen Elizabeth's grandson Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, a US-born former actress, married in a lavish ceremony at the monarch's Windsor Castle home in May last year.

The baby will be the eighth great grandchild of the 93-year-old queen, the world's longest-reigning monarch, and could be entitled to hold joint British and American citizenship according to nationality rules.

However, the child will not automatically be a prince or a princess as any such title will have to be bestowed by the queen by issuing what is known as a letter patent.

The parents are officially titled the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Britain's royal family attracts huge media interest but the younger members, especially Harry and Meghan, are treated like Hollywood superstars.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LOOK: Kiss from big brother in pics of Britain's royal baby

LONDON, United Kingdom - The first photos of Britain's Princess Charlotte together with Prince George, who is pictured giving his baby sister a kiss, were released by Kensington Palace on Saturday.

The four photographs, taken by their mother Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, show 21-month-old George sitting on a sofa holding Charlotte.

The portraits were taken when Charlotte, born on May 2, was around two weeks old.

They were taken at Anmer Hall, Prince William and his wife Kate's country mansion on his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England.

Propped up by two white cushions, Charlotte appears to be wearing a white romper suit with a matching jumper.

Her brother is dressed in a white shirt with blue piping detail around the collar, cuffs and front, and matching blue socks and shorts.

One picture shows George planting a kiss on his sister's forehead, another shows him tenderly looking down at her, a third shows him looking up and a fourth shows him smiling.

"Prince George and Princess Charlotte together at home #WelcomeToTheFamily," Kensington Palace, William and Kate's official residence in London, said as they released the image on social media.

"We're delighted to share the first photo of Prince George with his little sister Princess Charlotte.

"The photo of Prince George and Princess Charlotte was taken by The Duchess of Cambridge in mid-May."

Pictures of George have been rare. Only a handful of sets have been released, while he has rarely been seen in public.

The first pictures released of George at home after his birth were taken by Kate's father Michael Middleton.

George, who is directly in line to inherit the throne after his grandfather Prince Charles and then William, was last seen when his father took him to hospital to see his newborn sister.

Earlier, Kensington Palace released pictures of the multitudes of gifts, cards and toys the family received after Charlotte's birth, sent from all around the world.

They showed bundles of mail stacked up on filing cabinets, knitted dolls, slippers and bonnets and hand-written cards from schoolchildren.

"Thank you to everyone who took the time to make handmade gifts," the palace said.

It was announced Friday that Charlotte will be christened on July 5 at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, where William's late mother Diana was baptized.

Charlotte will be christened as a member of the Church of England by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church.

William and Kate have been staying at Anmer Hall in Sandringham since Charlotte's birth at St Mary's Hospital in London.

In tribute to his grandmother and mother, William and Kate gave Charlotte the middle names Elizabeth and Diana.

The princess is fourth in line to the throne after her brother Prince George, who was born on July 22, 2013. He was baptized at St James's Palace in London.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Chubby Prince George shown off at royal christening

LONDON - Britain's baby Prince George was christened in a private ceremony on Wednesday, with his proud parents Prince William and Kate giving the world a rare glimpse of the chubby three-month-old boy.

Wearing a frilly cream lace gown, the third in line to the throne was carried into the Chapel Royal of St James's palace by his father, his mother Kate close by, elegant in a cream Alexander McQueen outfit.

Queen Elizabeth II and the couple's parents and siblings, including William's younger brother Prince Harry, were among just 22 guests at the ceremony, including seven newly-named godparents.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual head of the world's Anglicans, performed the baptism, which involves pouring holy water from the River Jordan on the baby's head.

Television pictures showed the light-haired George Alexander Louis appearing wide awake and calm. He even gave the semblance of waving at the 87-year-old queen, his great-grandmother, when his father moved his arm up and down.

"He's all ready," William, 31, told the assembled party, which included his father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, adding: "So far so good."

The low-key ceremony reflects the fact that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge want their son to have a relatively normal upbringing and have closely guarded his privacy. He has only appeared in public once before, when they left hospital after his birth on July 22.

The couple broke with tradition by naming only one royal, William's cousin and champion horse-rider Zara Philips, among the godparents, with the others being childhood, university and work friends.

The ceremony welcomes Prince George into the Church of England, which he is destined to lead as future king and "Defender of the Faith".

During his address, Welby spelt out George's responsibilities as a Christian, saying he "is to share the life of Christ".

"That sharing may be in words, or generous actions -- most likely both -- but it will be both very costly and infinitely rewarding," he added.

Harry and Kate's sister Pippa Middleton, who had both been wrongly tipped as potential godparents, both read passages from the Bible.

Each of the godparents was asked to commit to providing Prince George with guidance as he grew up.

They include Zara Phillips, pregnant with her first child with rugby player husband Mike Tindall; William's childhood friends William van Cutsem and Earl Hugh Grosvenor; Julia Samuel, who was close to William's mother Diana; and Emilia Jardine-Paterson, who went to the private Marlborough College with Kate.

Rounding out the list are Oliver Baker, a friend from St Andrew's University in Scotland, where the royal couple met, and William's long-time aide Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, a former soldier in the elite SAS army unit.

'A very special moment'

A handful of royal fans camped overnight outside the palace hoping for a glimpse of the queen and her three direct heirs -- Prince Charles, his son Prince William and baby George, who is third in line to the throne.

"This is a very special moment. We will see three kings in the making," said John Loughrey, a 58-year-old fan wearing a raincoat bearing the pattern of the Union Jack flag.

He slept out overnight in the rain, but told AFP it did not bother him, adding: "This is a unique, historic moment."

In the House of Commons, Prime Minister David Cameron urged lawmakers to "join me in celebrating" the event.

The christening was sharp contrast to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's lavish 2011 wedding, which was broadcast live on televisions across the world, and to the media frenzy surrounding the birth of their first child.

Just six members of the royal family attended, along with Kate's parents Michael and Carole Middleton and her siblings James and Pippa.

The service was conducted behind closed doors although an official photograph by celebrity snapper Jason Bell will be released to the public on Thursday.

Afterwards the guests were invited for tea at Charles's official London residence, Clarence House, where, following British tradition, a portion of William and Kate's wedding cake was to be served.

The official photos are expected to gain iconic status, the first time four generations of monarchs have been pictured together since 1894, at the christening of the future king Edward VIII.

Patrick Jephson, Diana's former private secretary, said the christening sent a strong message about the royal family's durability as a dynasty.

"It reinforces the public perception that the British royal family is going to be around for a long time to come," he told AFP.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Prince George makes second outing for christening of the year

LONDON - After arriving to a global media frenzy, Britain's Prince George will make his second official appearance this week at a christening designed to be as low-key as possible for the world's most-hyped baby.

Prince George, third-in-line to the British throne, will be christened on October 23 in a private, 45-minute ceremony in the Chapel Royal at St James' Palace by the spiritual leader of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

George will become the formal head of the Church of England himself if he accedes to the throne.

Few were surprised by Prince William and his wife Kate's decision to break with tradition and not hold the service in Buckingham Palace as is typical for royal christenings.

The royal couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since their 2011 wedding, have made it clear they are not sticklers for tradition and their informality has helped portray a more modern, relevant royal family in austerity-hit Britain.

So far the only official photographs of Prince George are family snapshots taken by Kate's father Michael Middleton.

The christening will be the first time in over 100 years that four generations of royals are photographed together, with a picture of Queen Elizabeth, her son and heir Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George to be released after the event.

Although the christening will be held behind closed doors, tourists and well-wishers have already flocked to the 16th century St James' Palace built by Henry VIII in central London.

"In the States, the royals fascinate people, especially William and Kate who are young and approachable," said Sean Tyrrell, 44, a policeman from Manteca, California, outside the palace gate flanked by guards in red tunics and bearskin hats.

Style icon

German students Julia Magrian and Anne Krause, both aged 17, said they would be following the christening closely, keen to see what Kate wears. The "Kate-effect" is well-known, with anything the duchess wears prompting a sales rush.

"We like Kate because she is a link between royalty and the common people and she has great style," said Magrian.

Royal officials have released few details before the christening, allowing only one photographer and one TV crew inside the palace - unlike Prince George's birth when an army of cameramen camped outside St. Mary's Hospital for three weeks.

Millions of people around the world watched live coverage of the duke and duchess, both aged 31, leave the hospital with their sleeping son, the only public sighting of George to date.

His birth on July 22, along with a run of sporting success for Britain during an unusually good summer, was credited with boosting consumer spending in July and bolstering the popularity of Britain's royal family at home and abroad.

William and his party-loving brother Harry have been at the forefront of the modernization of the monarchy whose popularity suffered after the 1997 death of their mother Princess Diana.

British media have speculated on the guest list and whether Prince George will wear a replica of the gown used by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841 and worn by many royals since.

Bookmaker William Hill expected Prince William and Kate to opt for friends as the godparents for their first child and skip the royal tradition of choosing family or other royals.

Shopkeepers said the christening was unlikely to boost sales since little was available in terms of baby memorabilia.

"There's always demand for anything royal but licensing rules mean we're very limited in what we can provide," said Younes Nokra of the Crest of London store in Leicester Square.

Despite the christening being held behind locked gates, royal fans were still planning to descend on St. James' Palace to soak up the atmosphere and look out for Prince George.

"He will have a lovely christening dress on and I want to see him with his eyes open," Margaret Tyler, a royal enthusiast and memorabilia collector, told Reuters.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Prince George: Britain's royal baby boy named at last

Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate on Wednesday named their baby boy George Alexander Louis, sticking firmly to royal tradition with a first name used by six previous monarchs.

George was the bookmakers' clear favourite for the third-in-line to the throne as it pays apparent tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's father King George VI, the infant's great-great-grandfather, who died in 1952.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son George Alexander Louis. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge," Kensington Palace said in a statement.

The baby will not automatically be King George VII whenever he comes to the throne, however, as there have been reports that William's father Prince Charles may take that title when he becomes king.

The announcement came just hours after the queen visited William and Kate at Kensington Palace, their London residence, and met her newborn great-grandson for the first time.

The 87-year-old monarch would have given final clearance for the name to ensure that it was in keeping with the traditions of the House of Windsor and a monarchy that has lasted more than 1,000 years.

Louis is one of William's middle names and was also the first name of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Viceroy of India and a mentor to Prince Charles. Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bombing in the 1970s.

Bookmakers had George and James as the favourites.

The naming was relatively quick by royal standards. Charles and his first wife Diana took a week to announce William's name in 1982, while the world had to wait a month after Charles was born in 1948.

Under British law, parents have 42 days to register the birth -- and the name -- of their child. It is not clear whether William and Kate have officially done so yet.

The queen earlier spent just over half an hour at the palace, where the young couple spent the first night after leaving hospital with the baby, before she was driven away in a green Bentley limousine.

She has said she is "thrilled" about the latest addition to the family, who will one day succeed her as head of state of Britain and monarch of 15 Commonwealth realms around the globe.

A few hours later, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took the little prince to stay with his maternal grandparents in the village of Bucklebury west of London, arriving in a convoy of four-by-four vehicles with police outriders.

Carole and Michael Middleton, self-made millionaires from a party goods business, visited the baby in hospital on Tuesday, where Kate's mother pronounced her first grandson "absolutely beautiful".

Prince George's uncle Prince Harry -- William's younger brother, who has been knocked down to fourth in line to the throne -- and Kate's sister Pippa Middleton made separate visits to the couple at the palace.

William is taking two weeks of paternity leave from his job as a Royal Air Force search-and-rescue pilot, and the couple, both 31, are expected to take some time away from the cameras.

"This is now private and quiet time for them to get to know their son," a palace spokesman said.

Royal aides said the couple had no immediate plans to hire a nanny, and Kate is expected to rely on her mother for support in the early weeks.

Echoes of William's own birth

The new baby was revealed to the world when the royal couple left St Mary's Hospital in London on Tuesday evening to huge cheers from the international media massed outside.

When the queen met her new heir on Wednesday, she became the first British monarch to meet a third-generation direct heir since Queen Victoria a century ago.

The monarch, wearing a turquoise floral outfit, made the visit without her husband Prince Philip, 92, who is convalescing after exploratory surgery on his abdomen last month.

The queen's private visit -- she was quickly whisked in and out of the palace -- contrasted with William and Kate's highly public outing on Tuesday.

Wearing a cornflower-blue polka-dot dress as she emerged from the private Lindo wing of the hospital, a beaming Kate said the couple were feeling "very emotional" and that it was a "special time".

The baby behaved impeccably, raising a tiny hand above his white blankets -- his first royal wave of a lifetime that will be spent in the public eye.

"He's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure," William joked, adding: "We are still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can."

British newspapers noted the similarities between William and Kate's appearance and that of Charles and Diana following William's birth at the same hospital.

Kate was wearing the sapphire engagement ring that belonged to Diana, while her empire-line dress, a bespoke design by Jenny Packham, also drew strong comparisons with that worn three decades ago by the late princess, which also had a polka-dot pattern.

Congratulations have poured in from around the world, while Chinese fortune tellers predicted the baby will grow up to be determined but introverted -- and a big hit with the ladies.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Britain's William and Kate leave hospital with baby

LONDON - Prince William and his wife Kate left hospital on Tuesday and gave the world its first glimpse of their baby boy, who becomes third in line to the British throne.

After posing for pictures for the world's media, the couple said they were still working on a name for their son and were feeling "very emotional".

Kate, wearing a blue polka-dot dress, smiled and waved at the cheering crowds as she held her baby, who was wrapped in a white blanket.

Kate was holding the boy first before passing him to her husband.

"He's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure," William told the press, while Kate said the couple was "very emotional" after welcoming their first child, a new third in line to the British throne.

Prince William and his wife Kate were set to leave hospital with their newborn son on Tuesday evening and return home to Kensington Palace, the palace confirmed in a statement.

"Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge will be discharged this evening from St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington," the palace had said.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their son will travel home to Kensington Palace."

The statement added that William and Kate wanted to "reiterate their thanks to the hospital for the care and treatment they have all received".

Their unnamed baby son, the new third in line to the British throne, was born at the central London hospital at 4:24 pm (1524 GMT) on Monday weighing a healthy 8 lbs 6 oz (3.8 kilos).

The statement from the palace came shortly after William's father Prince Charles visited his new grandson, telling the press as he left: "You'll see in a minute."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US hails birth of Britain's royal baby

WASHINGTON - Americans thrilled Monday at news from across the pond that Prince William's wife Catherine had given birth, with President Barack Obama leading a chorus of well wishes.

"Duchess of Cambridge Has Given Birth to a Baby Boy, Palace Says," heralded The New York Times in one of many smartphone alerts from news media that ricocheted around the nation.

Obama and his wife Michelle, the parents of two school-aged daughters, wished William and Catherine "all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings."

"The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations," the president said in a White House 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."

Outside the White House, a group of mothers with children in tow cheered the royal birth.

"She had her baby? I didn't know," one woman told AFP. "It's a boy? How exciting!"

"No, I wanted it to be a girl," another said, but a third woman stated: "Nothing wrong with a boy... Another (royal) boy for the girls to crush on."

Even famously hard-bitten New Yorkers were caught up in the excitement.

"It's just so great. I heard about it on Twitter and then we had the TV on for like an hour in the office," secretary Melissa Klein told AFP.

"Don't ask me why, but it's a big thing for America."

At Tea and Sympathy, a British-themed restaurant in Greenwich Village, union jack bunting went up as soon as it was announced that Kate had gone into labor -- followed by blue "It's a boy" banners once news of the birth came through.

"There was a huge cheer, it was so exciting," restaurant manager Hayley Simmonds, originally from London, told AFP.

"Everyone seems to be ordering afternoon tea today. They want to have something special to celebrate."

News channels like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC broke into their regular programming for live reports from correspondents on the ground in London.

"It's really with a sense of excitement that the crowds are beginning to gather at Buckingham Palace," said one CNN reporter over a live aerial view that in fact showed just a few hundred at the gates.

Fox News, famous for its conservative editorial slant, pointed out that the British royal family enjoys "a higher approval rating" than Barack Obama.

"It establishes once again why Britain is such a great nation," Neil Gardiner, a British expat at the right-wing Heritage Foundation in Washington, told the channel.

Online, gossip websites tested the limits of lese majeste.

"The Duchess of Cambridge has finally given birth to the Cookie Monster that has been growing inside her like a parasite for the better part of a year," the achingly hip Gawker.com said.

"According to Buckingham Palace officials, Kate popped at precisely 4:24 PM GMT," added TMZ.com alongside an online poll asking readers if they thought "the royal heir will lose his hair" like his balding father and grandfather.

Two out of three responded yes.

On Twitter, celebrities fell over each other with congratulatory messages.

"It's a boy! So happy for my cousin Kate and the future King of England!" tweeted talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, recently informed by the New England Genealogical Society that she is indeed a distant relative of the future queen.

Fellow funny lady Joan Rivers quipped: "Congratulations to Kate & William on the birth of their baby boy! So relieved that his name won't include the words Ivy or Apple."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Boy for Britain's Prince William and wife Kate

London - Prince William's wife Kate gave birth to a boy on Monday, the couple's first child and the third in line to the British throne, heralding celebrations in London and messages of goodwill from across the world.

"We could not be happier," Prince William said in a brief statement, after he witnessed the birth of his son at 4:24 p.m. (11:24 a.m. ET), an event that sparked an international media frenzy and the illumination of London landmarks in blue.

His office said Kate and the baby, weighing 8 lbs 6 oz (3.8 kg) and to be publicly named at a later date, were both doing well and would stay in hospital overnight.

Prince William phoned his grandmother the queen to give her the news, and also contacted his father Prince Charles and brother Prince Harry, all of whom were said to be delighted. The addition to the family is third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and William.

It might take some time for the name to emerge however. The announcement of William's name took more than a week, but bookmakers make George the favorite, followed by James.

As the birth of the queen's third great-grandchild was announced, a loud cheer went up from the well-wishers and media gathered outside St. Mary's Hospital in west London, where William was also born to the late Princess Diana in 1982.

"It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy," said Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.

Within minutes, messages of congratulations began flooding in, while crowds gathered outside the queen's London residence Buckingham Palace where an official notice was placed on a gold-colored easel at the main gates.

U.S. President Barack Obama was one of the first world leaders to welcome the birth.

"Michelle and I are so pleased to congratulate The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the joyous occasion of the birth of their first child," he said. "We wish them all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings."

The royal couple, officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, had arrived at the hospital shortly before 6 a.m. and entered through a back door to avoid massed ranks of British and international media camped outside the main entrance.

Kate and William, both aged 31, met when they were students at St. Andrews University and were married in April 2011 in a spectacular wedding broadcast around the world.

FRENZY

The royal birth has provoked a similar frenzy, with media keeping up a deluge of speculative reports for days beforehand and particularly throughout Monday.

"Right across the country and indeed right across the Commonwealth people will be celebrating and wishing the royal couple well," Prime Minister David Cameron told waiting reporters in Downing Street.

"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."

Outside Buckingham Palace, there was a party atmosphere with well-wishers laying flowers and teddy bears, singing "God Save the Queen" and "Happy Birthday", and children waving flags.

"The build up to the birth has been so big I'm just happy it's finally come. I'm pleased it's a boy, you always want a boy really," said Alice Durrans, who rushed from a nearby restaurant after hearing the news.

Deborah Beeson, a banker from the United States, was ecstatic.

"It's wonderful. I got chills. I cried," she said. "You know America loves Kate. She's just beautiful, she has dignity."

There will be a 41-gun salute at London's Hyde Park and 62 rounds fired at the Tower of London on Tuesday to herald news of the birth.

The baby arrives at a time when the royal family is riding a wave of popularity. An Ipsos Mori poll last week showed 77 percent of Britons were in favor of remaining a monarchy over a republic, close to its best-ever level of support.

DARK DAYS

The dark days for the House of Windsor after the death of William's mother Princess Diana in 1997, which led to public anger at the royals, have been replaced with outpourings of support for William and Kate's wedding and the Diamond Jubilee for the queen last summer.

"It's been a remarkable few years for our royal family," Cameron said.

The couple, who have been living in a cottage in north Wales where William is based as a Royal Air Force helicopter pilot, will eventually take up residence with their baby at Apartment 1A at London's Kensington Palace when a 1 million pound refurbishment is completed later this year.

The palace was also William's childhood home.

The young royal couple have become global stars after some 2 billion people tuned in to watch their glittering marriage ceremony in 2011, while Kate is seen as a fashion icon.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Kate Middleton goes into labor

Prince William's wife Kate was admitted to hospital on Monday in the early stages of labour as the world awaited the birth of a baby directly in line to inherit the British throne.

After weeks of global anticipation over the arrival of a new generation of British royalty, the royal couple, both 31, were driven from Kensington Palace to a private London hospital wing at around 6 a.m.

Dozens of international media waited outside the Lindo wing of St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington on a hot summer's day while royal fans waving Union Jacks were also starting to gather.

The baby will be born third in line to the throne and in the direct line of succession after Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son and heir Prince Charles, and then his eldest son William.

"Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted this morning to St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labor," Kensington Palace said in a statement.

"Things are progressing as normal," a spokesman added.

The couple say they do not know the sex of the baby.

If it is a girl, then new succession laws being brought in across the 16 Commonwealth realms would mean that she could no longer be overtaken by any future younger brothers.

The birth is later than widely expected, adding to the sense of anticipation around a saga that began when William and the former Kate Middleton married with a huge fanfare in April 2011.

The pregnancy was announced in December when Kate was admitted to hospital with severe morning sickness.

Her early morning arrival at the hospital on Monday coincided with thunder and lightning as a huge storm over London brought the first rain for weeks after a major heatwave in Britain.

Kate has been admitted to the private Lindo Wing of the hospital, where a standard room and normal delivery -- which she is hoping for -- costs £4,965 ($7,775) for the first 24 hours, plus consultant's fees which can reach around £6,000.

The duchess is being tended by a top medical team led by the queen's gynecologist Alan Farthing and his predecessor Marcus Setchell.

William was born in the same hospital wing and media from across the globe are hoping for a repeat of the scene in 1982 when Charles and first wife Diana brought the baby prince out onto the steps to show him off to the world.

International press have been crammed cheek by jowl on the opposite side of the street for three weeks. Roughly 100 media were buzzing about Monday, with around 30 presenters lined up in a row delivering live broadcasts.

Yang Shanshan, from China's CCTV, told AFP: "We've been waiting for this for 10 days now. It was a long wait. We didn't show up every day but now of course we'll stay here till the baby comes.

"Hopefully the baby arrives at daytime."

Meanwhile, around 20 police officers were also stationed outside the wing and royal fanatics clad in British flags were beside themselves with excitement.

Prime Minister David Cameron sent his best wishes to the couple. "A very exciting occasion and the whole country is excited with them. So everyone's hoping for the best," he said.

The new arrival will be the monarch's third great-grandchild, and a first grandchild for Charles.

Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth said the royal family were unlikely to visit once the new addition arrives. Charles was pressing on with a visit to the National Railway Museum in York, northern England.

"The family will be waiting like any other family for news of the baby," Arbiter said. "The queen will be the first to be informed because William will telephone her as soon as something happens."

According to the palace, the next statement will be issued when the baby is born.

The duchess made her final public appearance before giving birth on June 15, attending the queen's official birthday celebrations.

William and Kate live in a cottage at Kensington Palace when in London. In the last four weeks, the duchess has been splitting her time between there and her family's home in the Berkshire countryside, west of London.

Otherwise they are based on the rural island of Anglesey in northwest Wales, where William works as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot.

There has been a betting frenzy on the name of the royal baby.

"There is a clear view that the baby will be a girl so there are lots of activity around girls' names," a spokeswoman for William Hill told AFP. "Alexandra and Charlotte are the most popular."

Other favored names are Diana, Elizabeth and Victoria, with George and James picked by those who think the baby will be a boy.

Outside Buckingham Palace, the queen's residence, Josh Killoren from Melbourne, Australia told AFP: "I'm hoping it's a boy. I'm sick of seeing a girl on the side of our coins."

That earned him a smack from his girlfriend Connie Sourlatzis, 30, who was a lot more enthusiastic.

"These two have really brought some life back into the royal family. I'm a lot more interested in them now than I used to be," she said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Britain's royal baby: 10 strange facts

LONDON - There's still no sign of Britain's royal baby, even though the world's media have been camped for three weeks outside the London hospital where Prince William's wife Catherine is due to give birth.

As the "Great Kate Wait" continues, here are 10 things you might not have known about the little future monarch:



1. Genealogists say the baby will be distantly related to Dracula, the 15th century prince who inspired Bram Stoker's famous vampire. Experts have also traced the family tree back to an Islamic sultan who is believed to be descended from the Prophet Mohammed.

2. Finland has gifted William and Kate with a special 'baby box' received by all expectant mothers in the Nordic country, which includes infant clothing, bra pads and even condoms.

3. By custom, earlier royal births were witnessed by the interior minister, in order to ensure that the heir was legitimate. Luckily for Kate, this tradition ended in 1936.

4. The baby does not necessarily need to have a surname -- but if William and Kate want it to have one, they can choose between Mountbatten-Windsor, Wales and Cambridge.

5. World landmarks including Niagara Falls, Toronto's CN Tower and the fountains at London's Trafalgar Square will turn pink or blue to celebrate the birth, depending on whether it is a girl or boy.

6. The journalists camped outside Kate's hospital are almost crying with boredom after a three-week wait, but it was a different story when William was born in 1982.

His mother Princess Diana fooled the press by telling them her son was due on July 1 -- he arrived 10 days earlier, catching the newspapers completely offguard.

7. You can place your bets on everything from the baby's name to what its hair color will be. The bookmakers' favorite names are Alexandra for a girl and George for a boy.

But you could win big if William and Kate opt for one of the unlikelier choices -- Prince Wayne, for example, has odds of 500/1.

8. The baby already has its own Wikipedia page -- "Child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."

9. Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has knitted a kangaroo for the baby.

10. Football superstar David Beckham has suggested that the royal couple should name their baby after him. "I think they should go for David," he said in an interview this week, adding: "If it's a boy."



source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Everyone is ready, but Britain's royal baby bides its time

LONDON - The hospital is ready, the Wikipedia page and Twitter accounts are up and Britain's famously creative press are running out of ideas. But there was still no sign Sunday of the royal baby.

Prince William is filling the time until his wife Catherine goes into labour playing polo, taking part in charity matches on Saturday and Sunday with his younger brother Harry.

He has taken a couple of days off from his work as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in Wales, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said, although he refused to say when the prince might be going back.

The palace has stayed tight-lipped about the birth of the new third in line to the throne, saying nothing for days other than to reiterate that Catherine is due some time in mid-July.

The press had pencilled in Saturday as the day, but bookmakers William Hill tipped Sunday as the likely due date, with Paddy Power offering equal odds on Sunday and Monday.

The only thing that is certain is that babies rarely come on time -- and that when this new heir to the Windsor dynasty finally arrives, the world will be ready.

In keeping with the digital age, the newborn already has its own page on Wikipedia entitled "Child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge", to use William and Kate's formal titles.

Several spoof Twitter accounts have also been set up, with one, @RoyalFoetus, already claiming 5,500 followers. On June 19, it declared: "One is done with gestating."

Camera crews and photographers from around the world have been camped for two weeks outside St Mary's Hospital in London where Catherine, 31, is due to give birth.

And a row of parking spaces have been reserved by the royals outside the private Lindo Wing until the end of the month.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported that Kate's gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell, will be given a police escort to hospital when she goes into labour.

Previous reports said that Setchell had given up alcohol for several weeks in preparation for the birth.

In the absence of any proper news about the baby, such tidbits formed the bulk of the royal coverage in Britain's normally hard-hitting Sunday newspapers.

The Sunday Express reported "exclusively" that Catherine had spent the weekend at her parents' home in Berkshire, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) west of London.

The Sunday Telegraph meanwhile noted that if the bookmakers are to be believed, the baby will be a girl called Alexandra and will weigh between 7lbs and 7lb 15 oz (3.17 to 3.60 kg).

Looking ahead to how William and Catherine will bring up their child, the Mail on Sunday published a poll showing that 53 percent of people think the couple should not use a nanny.

A further 56 percent of respondents think Catherine should cut back significantly on her royal duties after the birth.

The paper said that palace officials expected Catherine to resume some public engagements later this year.

The child, the first for its superstar parents, has caused huge interest among the world's media, but tourists visiting London this weekend had a mixed reaction.

A few were excited that their visit might coincide with Kate going into labour and others appeared blissfully ignorant, but most knew and seemed unmoved.

"I think it's more important to the people of UK," Rosa Robledo, a fifty-something tourist from the US state of Texas told AFP outside St Paul's Cathedral.

"It's like -- so there's a queen or a king, and there is a child born. OK, and it goes on."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com