Royal baby makes first public appearance
Posted July 23, 2013 3:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LONDON – Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, stepped outside St. Mary’s Hospital in London with their baby boy.
It was the first time the royal baby was seen in public.
No name has been announced yet. “We’re still working on a name,” Prince William said.
Meanwhile, Britons and people around the world are waiting to hear the name of the royal baby prince, who will someday be king.
Will and Kate welcomed their first baby on Monday — a boy weighing eight pounds and six ounces — at 4:24 p.m. BST Monday. He is third in line to the British throne.
“Mother, son and father are all doing well this morning,” a spokesperson with Kensington Palace said.
In a statement, the Duke and Duchess thanked “the staff at [St. Mary’s Hospital] Lindo Wing and the whole hospital for the tremendous care the three of us have received.” Click here to read the full statement.
The Duchess’ parents, the Middletons, visited the family at the hospital late Tuesday afternoon.
“He’s absolutely beautiful. We’re so thrilled,” Carole Middleton said.
The infant’s name remains a royal mystery. Oddsmakers have James as the favorite, followed by Henry, George, Philip, Alexander and Richard.
Gun salutes by royal artillery companies were held Tuesday to celebrate the royal birth, including the ringing of bells at London’s Westminster Abbey. There was also a special changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
CityNews’ reporter Francis D’Souza and cameraman Alfredo Colangelo are in London, England, covering the royal baby. Follow their tweets below:
Supporters from around the world have been joining the Royal Family in celebration.
In Canada, the news of the birth was greeted with a flurry of congratulations.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper hailed the arrival of “a future sovereign of Canada,” and said he’s looking forward to seeing the son born to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In New Zealand, royalist group Monarchy New Zealand said it had organized a national light show, with 40 buildings across the islands lit up in blue to commemorate the royal birth, including Sky Tower in Auckland, the airport in Christchurch, and Larnach Castle in the South Island city of Dunedin.
A similar lighting ceremony took place in Canada. Several landmarks, including the CN Tower, Niagara Falls and Parliament’s centre block were bathed in blue Monday night in honour of the baby.
British media joined in the celebration.
“It’s a Boy!” was splashed across many U.K. front pages, while the Sun newspaper temporarily changed its name to “The Son” in honour of the tiny monarch-in-waiting.
The Mirror, in an allusion to the fact that news of the baby’s birth first broke online, spoke of: “The Twitter of Tiny Feet.”
He also has a building dedicated to him, even though his name is not yet known.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said an enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Park Zoo would be named after the prince as part of a gift from the country. The government would donate 10,000 Australian dollars on the young prince’s behalf toward a research project at the zoo to save the endangered bilby, a rabbit-like marsupial whose numbers are dwindling in the wild. The prince’s name — when known — would be added to the bilby enclosure.
— With files from The Canadian Press
