Royal baby: William and Kate name their son George

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The name of the new prince has been announced two days after his birth

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their son George Alexander Louis, Kensington Palace has said. 

The third in line to the throne, who was born on Monday at 16:24 BST, will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

The Queen was told of Prince George's name when she met him for the first time on Wednesday.

The family are at the Middleton home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, after spending a night at Kensington Palace.

George was the bookmakers' favourite for the first name of the prince. 

The duke and duchess had been expected to pick a traditional royal name for their son, who was born at St Mary's Hospital in London, weighing 8lbs 6oz.

Royal infants usually have historical names which are passed down through the generations.

The duke and duchess gave the world its first glimpse of Prince George on Tuesday

 The duke joked that his son had "got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure". 

 Prince George is the first child for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - and is third in line to the throne 

The duke and duchess left hospital on Tuesday night for Kensington Palace, which is expected to be their new home

There were celebrations across the country on news of the prince's birth, including a 62-gun salute outside the Tower of London

On Wednesday morning, the Queen met her great-grandson for the first time and was told his name then 

Other Georges to have been king include George III (L), George V and the Queen's father, George VI (R)

Now the name has been announced, the Prince George merchandise will be rolling off the conveyor belt

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There have been six King Georges up to now, most recently the Queen's father, although his first name was Albert and he was known to his family as Bertie.

The name Louis is Prince William's fourth name and is likely to be a tribute to Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh's uncle and the last British Viceroy of India before independence in 1947.

Prince Charles was immensely fond of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten. Known by the Royal Family as Uncle Dickie, he was assassinated by the IRA in August 1979.

The prince's other middle name - Alexander - is one that three medieval Scottish kings have had, and was also the name of the famous 4th Century ruler Alexander the Great. The Queen's middle name is Alexandra.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said George will be seen as a tribute to the Queen's father but the couple are said to genuinely like the name themselves.

Alexander was a favourite of Catherine's, he added.

The BBC's Peter Hunt said Prince George does not have to be King George if he accedes to the throne - he can choose another name, as the Queen's father did.

"Royal names are diminishing. Edward VIII had 7; Prince Charles has 4; Prince William 4; Prince George 3. #princegeorge," he tweeted.

Charles Mosley, author of Blood Royal, told the BBC he knew it would be George.

"It was the name of the sovereigns under whom this country became a world player - in the 19th Century, defeating Napoleon, and in the 20th Century, winning two world wars.

"Louis is a nod in the direction of the Mountbatten element in the Royal Family. And indeed the surname of the royal family is still Mountbatten. His (Prince George's) birth certificate and marriage certificate will say Mountbatten-Windsor."

As well as being an established regal name, George is also a saint's name. St George was an early Christian martyr and is the patron saint of England. 

The announcement of the new prince's name has been relatively quick compared with previous royal babies.

It was seven days before the name of a newborn Prince William was announced in 1982, and there was a wait of a month following Prince Charles's birth in 1948.

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King Georges

• George I - Born 1660, Hanover. Reign: 1714-27
• George II - Born 1683, Hanover. Reign: 1727-60
• George III - Born 1738, London. Reign: 1760-1820
• George IV - Born 1762, London. Reign: 1820-1830
• George V - Born 1865, London. Reign: 1910-36
• George VI - Born 1895, Sandringham. Reign: 1936-1952

The Queen spent 30 minutes with her new great-grandson on Wednesday. At a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening, the monarch said she was "thrilled" at the arrival of her third great-grandchild.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and Catherine's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, paid visits to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.

Later that day, Catherine's sister Pippa Middleton went to Kensington Palace and Prince Harry also paid his new nephew a visit.

The duke and duchess left Kensington Palace shortly after the Queen's visit and were driven to Bucklebury. It had been expected that the couple would want to spend time at the duchess's family home but it is not known how long they will stay.

Prince William has two weeks' paternity leave before he is due back to work in Anglesey where he is an RAF search and rescue pilot.

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William and Kate present baby prince

 The world gets its first glimpse of the new Prince

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have emerged from St Mary's Hospital in west London with their new baby son.

Walking out to cheers from staff and well-wishers, Kate cradled her son and said it was "a special time". 

Prince William said they were "still working on a name".

The couple then went back inside the private Lindo Wing and placed their son in a car seat. A few minutes later they came outside again and the duke drove his family home to Kensington Palace. 

A small crowd had gathered outside the palace to greet them. 

Speaking to reporters outside the hospital earlier, the couple both said the experience was "very emotional".

William and Kate appeared relaxed and smiled as they appeared on the steps of the hospital shortly before 19:15 BST in front of a mass of photographers.

Kate handed their baby, who was wrapped in a white shawl, over to her husband and the couple walked forward to speak to reporters. 

Nappy change
 
"He's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure," William said. 

"He's a big boy, he's quite heavy. We are still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can."

He added: "It's the first time we have seen him really so we are having a proper chance to catch up."

A smiling duchess said: "It's such a special time. I think any parent will know what this feeling feels like."

Addressing the waiting crowd, Prince William said: "I'll remind him of his tardiness when he's a bit older. 

"I know how long you've all been standing here so hopefully the hospital and you guys can all go back to normal now and we can go and look after him."

They also revealed William had done the first nappy change.

 The couple emerged from St Mary's Hospital to face hundreds of photographers

 The duchess was admitted to hospital on Monday morning and gave birth at 16:24 BST. She stayed overnight with her husband and new son

 Kate and William answered a few questions from reporters, some of whom had been waiting outside for more than two weeks

 The new royal baby is the first child for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - and third in line to the throne 

The Duke of Cambridge drove his family home from hospital

Earlier in the afternoon, the couple were visited at the hospital by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.

Prince Charles said the baby was "marvellous" while Mrs Middleton said he was "absolutely beautiful".

Speaking to reporters as she left the hospital, Mrs Middleton said: "We are so thrilled".
She added her first cuddle with her new grandson had been "amazing".

There has been no word yet on what the couple plan to name the prince and asked if she had been told or made any suggestions, Mrs Middleton said: "Absolutely not."

Prince William was at the hospital for the birth at 16:24 BST on Monday, and stayed with his wife and son, who weighed 8lb 6oz (3.8kg), overnight.

Kensington Palace said in a statement: "We would like to thank the staff at the Lindo Wing and the whole hospital for the tremendous care the three of us have received. 

"We know it has been a very busy period for the hospital and we would like to thank everyone - staff, patients and visitors - for their understanding during this time."

The first public appearance of the royal baby attracted tweets from more than 18,000 people a minute, social network Twitter said.

But the figure was short of the peak of 25,300 tweets per minute on Monday night after his birth was announced, it said.

Meanwhile, the birth of the third in line to the throne was marked by gun salutes at Green Park and the Tower of London and the ringing of bells at Westminster Abbey.

And at Buckingham Palace, royal watchers and tourists queued in the rain to catch a glimpse of the bulletin announcing the arrival of the royal baby at 16:34 BST on Monday, which is being displayed on an easel.

The birth of the prince means the monarchy has three generations of heirs to the throne for the first time since 1894.

Royal baby: Kate gives birth to boy

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    A formal bulletin confirming the birth of a baby boy has been displayed at Buckingham Palace

The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy, Kensington Palace has announced.

The baby was delivered at 16:24 BST at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, weighing 8lb 6oz.

The Duke of Cambridge said in a statement the couple "could not be happier". He and the duchess will remain in the hospital overnight.

The news has been displayed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in line with tradition.

A bulletin - signed by the Queen's gynaecologist Marcus Setchell, who led the medical team that delivered the baby - was taken by a royal aide from St Mary's to the palace under police escort.

The document said: "Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm today.

 The official bulletin was signed by members of the medical team at the hospital

 Royal head of news Ed Perkins, under police escort, took the notice from the hospital to Buckingham Palace

 The Queen's senior page, Philip Rhodes (right), was given the document in the forecourt of the palace

Crowds outside the gates hoped to get a glimpse of the bulletin

 The news sparked celebrations among royal fans waiting outside St Mary's Hospital

A town crier confirmed the birth with a pronouncement on the steps of the hospital's Lindo Wing

"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."

When the news was announced, a large cheer went up from well-wishers and journalists outside the hospital while a large crowd greeted the posting of the bulletin outside Buckingham Palace.

The Kensington Palace press release said the Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth of his son, who will be known as the Prince of Cambridge and who is third in line to the throne.

"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news," it said.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said the names of the baby - who was delivered in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's - would be announced in due course.

The Prince of Wales, in a separate statement, said he and the Duchess of Cornwall were "overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild.

"It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy," he added.

"Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone's life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future."

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the duke and duchess spent time bonding with their son before they told the family their news.

Royal doctor Mr Setchell described the new arrival as "wonderful baby, beautiful baby", our correspondent added.

Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking outside Downing Street, hailed the "wonderful news".

"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've got a brand new baby boy," he added.

He said the Royal Family could "know that a proud nation is celebrating with a very proud and happy couple tonight".

"May God bless this family with love, health and happiness in their shared life ahead”

                           -End Quote Archbishop of Canterbury

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said: "I am sure that people across Scotland will be absolutely thrilled to hear the news of the birth of a baby boy to the Royal couple and will want to join me in wishing the proud parents many congratulations." 

And Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones congratulated the couple "on behalf of the people of Wales" as "they enter their journey into parenthood".

The Archbishop of Canterbury, meanwhile, said he was "delighted to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the arrival of their baby boy".

"Along with millions here and around the world, I share in their joy at this special time," he added.

"May God bless this family with love, health and happiness in their shared life ahead."

Catherine and Prince William had arrived at the hospital at 06:00 BST ahead of a Kensington Palace announcement that she was in the early stages of labour.

The world's media had been camped outside St Mary's for days in anticipation of the birth.

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