Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge gave birth on Monday to a regal baby boy. Here's a rundown on absolutely everything you ever needed to know about the future King of England.
The arrival of "Baby Cambridge" was first announced to the public via a press release issued by Kensington Palace. The royal heir was born at 4:24 p.m. and weighed in at a healthy 8 pounds, 6 ounces. The Royal Family followed up with several tweets on the health of the child, mother and more. The royal twitter feed informed us commonfolk that the Duke of Cambridge was present at the birth and that The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry & families have been told and are delighted at the news.
It's a waiting game to find out the name of the newborn prince. The royal family is expected to announce it in the coming hours or days. Prince Harry's name was announced the day of his birth, while Prince William's name was kept under wraps for a week. Their father's name was not made public for an entire month.
There have not been any leaks about the baby's name thus far, but a rumor is making rounds that Kate and William drew up a shortlist prior to going on to make the final decision. Perhaps the young prince will be named after his father, whose full name provides four options to choose from: William Arthur Phillip Louis.
Another possibility is that the new parents will follow tradition and choose from one of a number of popular and favored names of past Kings. For example, there have been eight King Henrys thus far, as well as eight Edwards, six Georges, four Williams, three Richards, two Jameses, two Charleses and a Philip.
Whether it takes a day or a month, the world will soon begin getting to know the infant prince by name, and also likely personality as well, as he has been thrust into the international spotlight well before his arrival into the world and chances are he'll remain in that royal position for years to come.
And when will we get to first set eyes on the baby bundle of joy? Well, Kate followed suit in Princess Diana's decision to give birth at a hospital rather than in a private location. As such, the public well get its first glimpse of the child when Kate is discharged from St. Mary's tomorrow. ABC News reports that Princess Diana exited the hospital through the front door after giving birth and it's expected that Kate will do the same. Expect the Internet to be flooded with photos of the young prince by Tuesday.
According to CBS News the baby will officially be known as His Royal Highness Prince [Name] of Cambridge. This title is the result of a royal decree issued by Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year that allows all children born to Kate and William to be titled Prince or Princess. Specifically, the decree reads "all of the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have and enjoy the style, title and attribute of Royal highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their Christian names or with such other titles of honor."
The new baby is a living link to Britain's imperial history. He is the great-great-great-great-great grandchild of Queen Victoria, who reportedly ruled at the apex of British power.
On a related note, the birth of the baby marks the first time in 120 years that a reigning monarch - Queen Elizabeth II - is alive at the same time as three generations of heirs.
And the young one will continue to make more marks on history in the future. Kate and William's first child, who is third in line to the throne after his grandfather Prince Charles and father Prince William, can be expected to grow up to become the head of state of 16 countries, among them Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Belize and Jamaica.
It's possible that he'll head up the Commonwealth, which encompasses 54 nations. The baby boy will also one day become Supreme Governor of the Church of England. He will also take the position of Commander of the British Army.
The life and times of this hours-old prince are fascinating and the facts of his existence could already fill tomes. But in this information age, perhaps we'll just start with Wikipedia. Within hours of Kate's going into labor, but well before she gave birth, the royal heir already had its own 900-word Wikipedia page. It has since grown substantially and likely will continue to, forever more.
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