Britain welcomed its newest princess Saturday with famous landmarks such as Tower Bridge and the Trafalgar Square fountains glowing pink in celebration of a newborn girl who is fourth in line to the throne.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to an 8-pound 3-ounce baby girl at 8:34 a.m. Saturday at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London, with her husband, Prince William, by her side.
Less than 10 hours later, the duchess appeared on the steps outside, holding her infant daughter, who was fast asleep and wrapped in a white blanket. The duke and duchess waved to the banks of photographers and well-wishers, but unlike with the birth of Prince George, their first child, they didn’t stop to talk to the media.
Soon after, they returned to Kensington Palace, their home in London.
The world is still waiting to learn what the baby will be named — Prince George was 2 days old when his name was announced. The favorite names for the newborn are Charlotte, Alice, Olivia, Victoria and Elizabeth. Her name will take the form of Her Royal Highness Princess (name) of Cambridge.
The baby has arrived just in the nick of time to help lift the national mood. The country is in the midst of a long, bitterly contested parliamentary election campaign that has at times resembled trench warfare — Britain goes to the polls on Thursday — and the news of the newest Windsor was immediately embraced as a ray of sunshine.
“It’s a girl! It’s a girl!” shouted John Loughrey, 60, a self-described “superfan” who was jumping up and down outside of the Lindo Wing after he heard the news.
While the royal birth offered some respite from campaign coverage, politicians from various parties offered congratulations.
British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted that he was “absolutely delighted” for the couple.
Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition Labor Party, tweeted: “Wishing them lots of joy and happiness — and hopefully some sleep.”
Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K. Independence Party, suggested his candidates take an hour off from the campaign to raise a pint in honor of the new princess.
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama also paid tribute, saying in a statement: “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.”
The 33-year-old duchess, widely known as Kate, arrived with her husband at the hospital at 6 a.m. Saturday, their car slipping past a phalanx of photographers keeping watch.
In a nod to the times, the palace announced details of the birth with a news release followed shortly by notices on social media. The palace also continued its tradition of posting a notice of a royal birth on a gilded easel in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace.
“We had to come and see the announcement. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said Betsy Evans, 46, who works in marketing in Minneapolis but was on holiday in London. The tradition of displaying birth notices at the palace dates to 1837.
The palace said William and Kate didn’t know the baby’s sex before she was born, but those stepping into betting parlors across the country were convinced the baby was a girl. Prince Charles, William’s father, reportedly let slip that he too hoped that his next grandchild was a girl.
On Saturday, a beaming Queen Elizabeth II was photographed in northern England wearing a pink jacket and hat.
But for all the fanfare over the “spare to the heir,” the royal baby fever is a couple of degrees lower than it was for the birth of Prince George, when Canada lighted Niagara Falls in blue and New Zealand welcoming the arrival with a 21-gun salute.
“We know that George is the heir, so the second-born rather skates in rather nicely. It’s an also-ran in royal life,” said Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine. “It’s not so important, because it will be the first-born that inherits the kingship, if indeed there is a kingship by then.”
Still, it was a joyous celebration for the princess. Hundreds gathered outside the Lindo Wing where accents could be heard from around the world. Earlier in the day, William said he was “very happy” when he left the hospital to pick up Prince George, who will turn 2 in July. When he returned to the hospital with George, who waved to the onlookers, the crowd roared with delight.
In recent days, crowds gathered outside of the Lindo Wing with some royal enthusiasts pitching tents. Last week, the duke and duchess, who was thought to be several days overdue, sent coffee and croissants to their diehard supporters.
The palace also seemed to be having a little fun with the #GreatKateWait, as the Twitterati once again dubbed Kate’s pregnancy. On Thursday they teased eager royal watchers with a picture from two years ago, when George was born.
Prince George was born in the Lindo Wing, as was his father and his uncle, Prince Harry.
Prince William, who is training as a pilot with East Anglian Air Ambulance, is on six weeks of unpaid leave until he starts the next phase of his training June 1.
The couple are deeply private, and it’s unlikely that the world will see much of them in the coming weeks. According to the palace, they plan to spend the next few days at Kensington Palace before heading to Anmer Hall, their country home that’s part of the queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
But the chance for even a fleeting glimpse of the couple was enough for Maureen Robertson, 61, from Portsmouth, to abandon her plans for Saturday shopping on Oxford Street in favor of jaunting over to the Lindo Wing.
“I think any royal baby has a big impact on the mood,” she said. “I think it brightens everyone’s lives.”
Griff Witte contributed to this report.
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