William and Kate 'working on a name' for royal baby - Action News
Home WebMail Saturday, November 23, 2024, 12:05 PM | Calgary | -12.1°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
World

William and Kate 'working on a name' for royal baby

The royal baby of Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has made his world debut, as the gushing couple emerged from St. Mary's Hospital in London with the newborn to the excited throngs of media and well-wishers camped outside.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace with son, 3rd in line to British throne

Royal welcome for baby boy

11 years ago
Duration 3:01
Britain celebrates the royal birth

Prince William and Kate, TheDuke and Duchess of Cambridge, on Tuesday revealedto the worldtheir latest title: Parents. Their newborn sonhas a title too, but no name, yet.

Asked by reporters outside St. Mary'shospital in London if they had settled on a name, Williamanswered saying,they were "still working" on it.

"We'll havethat assoon as we can," he said, shortly before loading his new bundle buckled into a car seat into a black Range Rover. The new dad then drove his family home to Kensington Palace, where he, Kate and their newborn arrived safe and sound just after 2:45 p.m. ET for the baby's first night out of hospital.

'HRH Prince (insert name) of Cambridge'

The name of the royal couple's first-born, and third great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth, remains a mystery, with the palace sayingin a statement released Monday thatthere's "no news on names."

However, the baby, third in the line of succession after Prince Charles and William, will carry the title "His Royal Highness Prince (insert name) of Cambridge."

The big reveal

Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, appear with their baby son outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in central London on July 23, 2013. (Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)

On Tuesday afternoon,William and Kategave throngs of media and well-wishers outside St. Mary's Hospital in London as well as the world what they had long been anticipating theworld's first view of the royal couple's baby son, and the third in line to the British throne.

The Duke of Cambridge, wearing a blue shirt, and Kate, resplendent in a blue polka-dot dress, emerged from the doors of the hospital's Lindo Wing on Tuesday evening local time, with the new mother carrying the tiny prince in her arms for his first public appearance since his birth Monday.

Shortly after waving to the crowd and describing to reporters how she felt as "very emotional," Kate handed the baby to the doting new dad.

"It's very special," William told a crowd of media gathered around the hospital steps. "I'll remind him of his tardiness when he's a bit older," he said jokinglywhen asked why it took so long for the royal couple to leave the hospital.

When asked who the baby looks like, William said, "He's got herlooks thankfully." To which Kate gushed, "No, no, no."

William added: "He's a big boy, he's quite heavy"andlaughedwhen a reporter asked him about the baby's hair.

"He's got way more than me, thank God," he said.

The young family's first public appearance together recalls a similar appearance three decades ago, whenPrincess Dianaand Prince Charles carried the newborn William out of the hospitalto pose for photographs on the same steps in 1982.

The baby's debut came after William's father, Charles, Prince of Wales,and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,visited the London hospital.

After about a half-hour visit, Charles and Camilla left the doors of the hospital's private Lindo Wing, with Charles saying his grandson was "doing marvellously."

The royal birth

Following the birth of the new princeat 4:24 p.m. BST (11:24 a.m. ET) at a weight of eight pounds, six ounces, Britons and people around the world have been joining the Royal Family in celebration. Butthebiggest question since then had been when will the royal babymake hispublic debut?

Earlier Tuesday, William and Kate were enjoying their last hours alone with theirson, and in the afternoon, Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, visited the couple and their new grandson.

The Middletons spoke briefly with the media after their visit to the hospital.

"Hes absolutely beautiful," Carole Middleton said.

"Mother, son and father are all doing well this morning,"a Kensington Palacespokesman noted Tuesday.

[IMAGEGALLERY galleryid=4729 size=small]

The palacealso issued astatement from William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton:

"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 everyonestaff, patients and visitorsfor their understanding during this time."

Salutes for the new prince

British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to the royal couple by saying,"They'll make wonderful parents."

After an impromptu party at Buckingham Palace, more celebrations were held Tuesday, including a 62-gun salute outside the Tower of London tomarkthe arrival of the royal baby.Riders in uniformtrotted past the palace to Green Park, where six field guns fired 41 blank rounds.

The babyalready has a building dedicated to him.

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.

"I don't know if the Royal Family would need this, but we'll probably give them a free pass to Taronga Park Zoo as well," Rudd said.

In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper hailed the arrival of "a future sovereign of Canada," and said he's looking forward to seeing the new son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Canada's tribute to the birth of the future king included theCN Tower and Niagara Fallsgetting awash in blue on Monday evening.

The CN Tower in Toronto went blue just after 9 p.m. ET on Monday evening in commemoration of the royal baby boys birth. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Cian Horrobin, a spokesman for the Monarchist League, said the birth marked the beginning of a lifelong relationship for Canadians with "this boy who will one day be our king."

Massive interest in the royal birth stems from the popularity of Kate and William, who havehelped makethe monarchy "cool," British royal commentator and authorRichard Fitzwilliams told CBC News on Tuesday.

The couple has "enormous public support worldwide," and the baby is "a mix between the new and the old,"Fitzwilliams said, adding thatthe royal couple's weddingon April 29,2011, helped rejuvenate the institution of the monarchy.

Even those opposed to the monarchy welcomed the prince's arrival.

Tom Freda, director of the organization Citizens for a Canadian Republic, said any news involving the Royal Family renews the debate over the relevance of a monarchist system, "and debate is good."

In New Zealand, royalist group Monarchy New Zealand said it had organized a national lightshow, with 40 buildings across the island 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.

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.

With files from The Associated Press