The Prince is Born

JOHN STILLWELL/AFP/Getty Images

BY JACK PHILLIPS EPOCH TIMES STAFF

“Never underestimate the British public’s obsession with the royal family,” Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Donohue, who said the firm took 50,000 bets on names, told the AP. “This is such a big story. And besides, it’s summer. The weather is good.”

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

Never underestimate the British public’s obsession with the royal family

The Associated Press reported that Prince George was born 8lb 6oz (3.8kg), after a 12-hour labour.

“Both my wife and I are 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,” reads a statement from Prince Charles.

The arrival of a new royal baby imbued the pomp and pageantry of Buckingham Palace with an extra sense of history on Monday as thousands of reporters, Londoners and tourists awaited the most anticipated birth announcement in years.

Patient well-wishers held a 12-hour vigil, many of them craning for a better view, and a photograph of the palace gates, where the official bulletin announcing the birth was posted on an easel. Grown men rode on friends’ shoulders. Others used step ladders.

Outside the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to the boy, a man dressed as a town crier in traditional robes and an extravagant feathered hat shouted the news and rang a bell.

The car carrying the announcement drove from the hospital to the palace, where it was greeted by a crowd shouting “Hip! Hip! Hooray!” and singing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” while waving Union Jack flags.

David Etrillard, visiting from France, said the French “look at Britain with interest because we have no monarchy so it’s great for us. I’m so happy it happened while me and my family are on holiday here.”

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge show their new-born baby boy to the world’s media