Prince William + Kate Middleton Welcome Their Royal Baby
Hear ye, hear ye! On this day, July 22, Prince William and yon wife Kate Middleton have successfully created the third successor in line for the British throne: a (still unnamed) baby boy.
According to Kensington Palace, the tot was born at 4:24pm and weighs 8 pounds, 6 ounces.
The news was announced via royal easel (as was the case with Prince William), with the doctor present for the delivery signing a proclamation that was then rushed to be set up in front of Buckingham Palace. This was done because the royal palace did not want to announce of the birth via Twitter in order to maintain "'the theatre' of a genuine royal occasion."
On July 2, reporters started lining up outside St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington to prep for the baby's birth, with parking suspensions around the hospital in effect until the end of the month. Kate finally went into labor earlier today.
William, 30, and Kate, 31, married in grand fashion on April 29, 2011, after which the media began engaging in endless speculation about the state of the new Duchess' womb. In December of last year, their persistence paid off when Buckingham Palace announced Kate was indeed expecting.
Her pregnancy was not without its problems, though -- she was hospitalized a few times for severe morning sickness, and one of those stays resulted in a radio prank gone horribly awry.
But never mind all that. For now, congratulations to the brand new mama, papa and their bouncing baby future monarch, the Prince of Cambridge.