London--Prince William's wife Kate gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday, sparking celebrations in Britain for the royal family's new fourth in line to the throne.
The beaming couple left the hospital carrying the newborn princess in front of hundreds of screaming well-wishers and amid a flurry of flashes from the assembled crowd of photographers.
A relaxed-looking Kate cradled the sleeping baby, wrapped in a woollen shawl, in her arms in front of the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in central London.
William then drove his wife and daughter to nearby Kensington Palace, the couple's official residence, after carrying the baby to the black Range Rover in a car seat.
He had said earlier he was "very happy" when he came out of Kensington Palace to pick up the couple's first child, 20-month-old Prince George, and bring him back to the clinic to meet his as yet unnamed little sister.
Bookmakers have Alice as their most likely name, followed by Charlotte and Elizabeth.
The birth was announced to the world in a tweet from Kensington Palace and by a traditional town crier in a colourful costume and a feathered tricorne hat, ringing a bell on the steps of the clinic.
As per tradition, a proclamation signed by the royal doctors was also placed on a gilded easel in front of Buckingham Palace, where hundreds of onlookers crowded by the gates to witness the historic moment.
"Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8:34am," Kensington Palace said in a statement.
William was present for the birth and the princess weighed eight pounds and three ounces (3.7 kilogrammes).
George's brief visit to the clinic was the first time since his own birth there in July 2013 that he had been seen at a public event in Britain as his parents have shielded him from the media and threatened to sue paparazzi who take his picture.
Great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and other senior royals were told the news before the formal announcement.
Grandfather Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, was said to be "absolutely delighted".
The queen wore a pink dress and shawl at a military parade she attended in northern England later on Saturday in apparent homage to the new arrival.
AFP
