Welcome to the royal family: Catherine gives birth to a girl
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For first publication 22.30 hours BST on Sunday July 15th 2018:
OFFICIAL PORTRAIT OF THE CHRISTENING OF PRINCE LOUIS. OBLIGATORY CREDIT LINE: PHOTO MATT HOLYOAK/CAMERA PRESS.
Official portrait taken in the Morning Room at Clarence House, following the christening of Prince Louis at St James?s Chapel.
Seated (left to right): The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Prince Louis, The Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte.
Standing (left to right): The Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, The Duchess of Sussex.
THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS PROVIDED FOR FREE NEWS USAGE IN CONNECTION WITH PRINCE LOUIS?S CHRISTENING UNTIL JULY 29TH 2018 . AFTER WHICH IT MUST BE REMOVED FROM ALL YOUR SYSTEMS. USAGE RIGHTS ARE STRICTLY EDITORIAL NEWS ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL, SOUVENIR OR PROMOTIONAL USE PERMITTED. MAGAZINE COVER USAGES REQUIRE APPROVAL. THE PHOTOGRAPH CANNOT BE CROPPED, MANIPULATED OR ALTERED IN ANY WAY.
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Kate, Duchess of Cambridge carries Prince Louis as they arrive for his christening service at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London, Monday, July 9, 2018. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool Photo via AP)
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Britain's Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge wave as they hold their newborn baby son as they leave the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth Monday to a healthy baby boy — a third child for Kate and Prince William and fifth in line to the British throne. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
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LondonCNN
—
It’s a princess!
That was the happy news on Saturday morning after the Duchess of Cambridge – the British royal also known as Catherine – gave birth to her second child.
The little girl came into the world at 8:34 a.m. (3:34 a.m. ET) Saturday at London’s St. Mary’s Hospital, Kensington Palace announced. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces.
Simply by virtue of being born, the newborn girl is fourth in line for the throne. That’s behind her grandfather Charles, the Prince of Wales; her father, William, who was with his wife at the hospital; and her big brother, Prince George, who was born in July 2013.
The rest of the royal family – including Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry – learned of the delivery shortly before the public did, via Twitter. This was before a smiling William left the hospital just after 3:50 p.m., waving to reporters before getting in a Range Rover and driving away.
He came back a few minutes later with George, and the two headed into the hospital.George didn’t stay long before heading back out, the palace tweeted.
After waving to onlookers, the royal couple and their newborn daughter left the hospital at about 6:15 p.m., then drove off to meet their son at Kensington Palace.
That means the whole family can now celebrate together.
But they won’t be the only ones.
‘I feel as though I had the baby myself’
This was a big deal in Britain and, if you scanned social media, the world as well.
The epicenter wasoutside St. Mary’s Hospital, where people had congregated for days – some wearing pink or blue, depending on their preference for a boy or a girl – ahead of the royal arrival.
Terry Hutt, who just celebrated his 80th birthday, didn’t care whether the newborn was a prince or princess; the more the merrier, he figures.
“Well I’d like both! Can you imagine how George feels?” Hutt said. “It’s probably his new toy.”
The anticipation turned to elation when the good word emerged.
“It’s a baby girl – what more can we want?” said one woman, adorned in a blazer patterned with the Union Jack, who’d been there for 11 straight days except to go home at night. “I’m over the moon. I feel as though I had the baby myself. I’m so elated.”
Amanda Copko, a 27-year-old visiting London from Oregon, acknowledged that “it’s a silly feeling” given everything else happening in the world, but still “one of the most amazing feelings” she’s experienced.
“It’s so fun to be a part of it,” said Copko. “I have to kind of catch myself, take a step back, and really soak it all in.”
London landmarks to light up in pink
The excitement wasn’t confined to St. Mary’s Hospital, however.
Crowds also swarmed outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, the queen’s home, many of them crowding around an easel containing the birth announcement.
British David Cameron was among the many who welcomed the news on Twitter, saying he is “absolutely delighted” for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Some of London’s best-known landmarks in Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben’s tower were to be lit up in pink Saturday night in honor of the newborn girl, the Westminster Council announced.
Sailors in the Royal Navy gave a shout-out not so much to William or Catherine, or even their new daughter. No, the message spelled out – in sailors, lined up on the HMS Lancaster, which is known as the Queen’s Frigate – appeared more targeted toward little George.
It was one word: “Sister.”
An instant celebrity
Much like their father, George and his little sister likely will continue to get a lot of public attention while growing up.
The media generally have been respectful of the royal family’s wishes to restrict photos of Prince George. And having the family live at Anmer Hall, which is about 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of London’s Buckingham Palace, should help them have some semblance of privacy.
But Kate Williams, a royal historian, expects this will be hard to keep up as the royal siblings enter their teenage years and adulthood. In the British royals’ long history, after all, it’s only now they’re living in a time of abundant media outlets, the Internet and smartphones. And the glamorization of princes and princesses is as strong as ever.
In some ways, Catherine’s newborn daughter will have an easier time than her brother “because no one thinks she’s going to be queen,” according to Williams. As a girl, though, she may face different types of scrutiny than a boy might – like what she’s wearing, how her hair looks and more, much like her mother has – the historian said.
“Whatever the mainstream do agree to do, people are there with camera phones, the Internet … it’s going to be very, very difficult to give (this baby) a real, private normal childhood like Kate Middleton had simply because (she’s) a huge celebrity,” Williams told CNN. “Everyone wants a photo. It’s going to be very, very hard to hide her away – (when) all these little girls across the world just want to see the real, royal princess.”
One question remains: What’s her name?
While the older brother or sister is destined for a life of regal duty and obligation – of public engagements, investitures and ribbon cutting ceremonies – the role of the younger royal is less defined.
That’s the case for William’s brother, Prince Harry, who has been bumped to fifth place in line for the throne.
Prince Harry’s ascension to the throne was a longshot, anyway. The second child of royal parents is known as “spare heir.” Traditionally, they were expected to rule if an older sibling died or could not become king or queen.
Now that the world has seen its first glimpse of the new princess, speculation has turned to her name. On the day of her birth, Alice, Charlotte and Olivia led the top three spots on betting websites.
If George’s full name is anything to go by, they might use all three. The chubby-cheeked toddler’s official name is Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
George and his new baby sister may use “Cambridge” as a last name when they attend school in a few years.
Photos: Will and Kate's royal family
Matt Porteous/The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Kensington Palace/Getty Images
This autumn 2020 image provided by Kensington Palace shows the 2020 Christmas card of Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, with their children, Prince George, left, Prince Louis, center, and Princess Charlotte.
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Ian Vogler/WPA Pool/Getty Images
William and Kate visit 282 East Ham Squadron, Air Training Corps, in East London on April 21. During the visit, the squadron paid tribute to the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who served as Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps for 63 years.
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William and Kate attend the funeral service of William's grandfather, Prince Philip, inside St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, on April 17.
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Will and Kate are pictured during a visit to Westminster Abbey, where a Covid-19 vaccination center has been set up, on March 23, in London.
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Will and Kate arrive with their three children to attend a pantomime performance of the National Lotterys Pantoland, at the London Palladium Theatre, on December 11, 2020, to thank key workers and their families for their efforts throughout the pandemic.
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Will watches as Kate pours a tray of bagel dough into a container during a visit to Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery in London, on September 15, 2020.
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Twitter/KensingtonRoyal
The royal family meets with naturalist David Attenborough at Kensington Palace in London, in September 2020, after a private screening of Attenborough's latest environmental documentary, "A Life On Our Planet," which focuses on the harm that has been done to the natural world in recent decades.
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Phil Harris/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, top left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, second from right, follow Prince William and Catherine as they depart Westminster Abbey with Prince Charles, bottom center, after attending the annual Commonwealth Service in London on March 9, 2020.
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William and Kate visit a settlement of the Kalash people in Chitral, Pakistan, on October 16, 2019.
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William and Kate escort Princess Charlotte, accompanied by her brother, Prince George, as Charlotte arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London, on September 5, 2019.
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The family is photographed during Trooping the Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019, in London.
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Geoff Pugh/AFP/Getty Images
Kate shows Queen Elizabeth and Will around the "Back to Nature Garden" that Kate helped designed during their visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, on May 20, 2019.
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, kisses Prince Louis as they pose next to Princess Charlotte and Prince George in Norfolk in a handout photo taken by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in 2019.
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From left: Prince William, Catherine, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrive to attend a Christmas Day church service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018, in King's Lynn, England.
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Kate holds Prince Louis on their arrival for his christening service at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London, on July 9, 2018.
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Tim Ireland/AP
Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, hold their newborn baby son outside a London hospital on April 23, 2018. The boy, whose name was announced several days later as Louis Arthur Charles, is their third child.
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Prince William holds the hands of his other two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as they visit the hospital to meet their new brother.
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Will and Kate attend the Royal Foundation Forum in London with Will's brother, Prince Harry, and Harry's fiancee, American actress Meghan Markle, on February 28, 2018.
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The couple attends the BAFTA Awards in London on Sunday, February 18, 2018.
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During a visit to Norway, Catherine is escorted to dinner by King Harald V of Norway on February 1, 2018. William is escorted by Norway's Queen Sonja.
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Chris Jackson/Kensington Palace/Getty Images
The image, used for the Duke and Duchess' 2017 Christmas card, shows the couple with their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
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Paddington Bear dances with Catherine while Prince William looks on during a charity event in London in October 2017.
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Steffi Loos/AFP/Getty Images
The royal family arrives at the airport in Berlin for a three-day visit in Germany in July 2017.
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HRH The Duchess of Cambridge via Getty Images
This photo of Charlotte was taken in April 2017 by her mother. Charlotte is fourth in line to the British throne behind her grandfather, Prince Charles; her father, Prince William; and her big brother, Prince George.
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Mark Large/Getty Images
Charlotte is held by her mother as her family ends an eight-day tour of Canada in October 2016. At left is her brother and her father.
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Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released new photos of Prince George to mark his third birthday in July 2016. Here he plays with the family's pet dog, Lupo.
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Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images
Members of the royal family gather on a balcony in June 2016, during celebrations marking the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. From left are Princess Anne; Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles; Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Charlotte; Prince George; Prince William; Prince Harry; Queen Elizabeth II; and Prince Philip.
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Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge/AP
Kensington Palace released four photos of Princess Charlotte ahead of her first birthday in May 2016.
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Pete Souza/Kensington Palace/Ap
US President Barack Obama talks with Prince William as Catherine plays with Prince George in April 2016. The President and his wife were visiting Kensington Palace.
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Ranald Mackechnie/Royal Mail via AP
Prince George gets a boost from some foam blocks for a special family photo in April 2016. The portrait, featuring the four generations of the House of Windsor, was commissioned by the Royal Mail and would be featured on a series of stamps to commemorate the Queen's 90th birthday.
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John Stillwell/Pool via AP
William and Catherine pose with their children during a trip to the French Alps in March 2016.
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Chris Jelf/PA/PA
The family poses for a Christmas photo in December 2015.
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HRH DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE/Getty Images
Princess Charlotte plays with a stuffed dog in this photo taken by her mother in November 2015.
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Mario Testino/Art Partner/Getty Images
William and Catherine pose with their children at Charlotte's christening in July 2015.
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HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
Princess Charlotte is seen with her big brother for the first time in a photo released by Kensington Palace in June 2015.
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LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
William and Catherine present their newborn daughter as they leave a London hospital in May 2015.
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John Stillwell/AFP/Getty Images
The royal family celebrates Prince George's first birthday with a trip to the Natural History Museum in July 2014.
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Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
The royal family waves to a crowd before boarding a plane in Wellington, New Zealand, in April 2014. They went on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.
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Danny E. Martindale/Getty Images
The royal couple attends the Tusk Conservation Awards at the Royal Society in London in September 2013.
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William and Catherine start an ultra marathon in Holyhead, Wales, in August 2013. It was Catherine's first public appearance since the birth of Prince George.
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MICHAEL MIDDLETON via AFP/Getty Images
The couple are pictured with their newborn boy, Prince George, in 2013. The new parents released two family photographs taken by Michael Middleton, Catherine's father.
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John Stillwell/WPA-Pool/Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess and their newborn son depart St. Mary's Hospital in London in July 2013.
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Paul Rogers - WPA Pool/Getty Imagesa
In April 2013, Harry, Catherine and William make magic on the set used to depict Diagon Alley in the "Harry Potter" films.
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The couple attends a St. Patrick's Day parade as they visit Aldershot, England, in March 2013.
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In September 2012, the couple drank coconut milk from a tree that Queen Elizabeth II planted decades ago in the South Pacific nation of Tuvalu.
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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Catherine and William celebrate during cycling events at the Olympic Games in London in August 2012.
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The Queen, William and Catherine stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the finale of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012.
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Ben Stansall-WPA Pool/Getty Images
As part of their charity work, the couple attended a "healthy living cookery session" in London in December 2011.
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The newly married royal couple watches a rodeo demonstration at a government reception in Calgary, Alberta, in July 2011.
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Catherine shovels soil during a tree-planting ceremony in Ottawa in July 2011.
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images
You can feel the love as the happy couple attends a Snowbirds air show during Canada Day celebrations in July 2011.
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US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama meet with the royal couple at Buckingham Palace in May 2011.
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The newlyweds walk hand in hand from Buckingham Palace the day after their wedding in April 2011.
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After their wedding on April 29, 2011, the couple drove from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House in a vintage Aston Martin.
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William and Catherine kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony in London.
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The pair returned to their alma mater in St. Andrews, Scotland, in February 2011. They launched a fundraising campaign for a new scholarship.
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BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
The couple poses for photographers to mark their engagement in November 2010. Catherine received the engagement ring that belonged to William's late mother, Diana.
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Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
The couple cheers on the English rugby team during the Six Nations Championship match in London in February 2007.
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Middleton Family/Clarence House/Getty
The couple takes a photo after graduating from the University of St. Andrews in June 2005. They met at school and even shared a house with others while students.
CNN’s Elaine Ly contributed from London, and Faith Karimi and Greg Botelho wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN’s Max Foster and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.