Palace: Kate gives birth to a baby boy

LONDON — It’s a boy!

Prince William’s wife, Kate, has given birth to a prince who is now third in line to the British throne.

The child was born Monday, after many Britons woke up to the news that Kate, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, had gone into labor with the couple’s first child.

The birth announcement, via a press release from Kensington Palace, said the boy was born at 4:24 p.m. weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces. William was present for the birth, the statement said. The announcement did not include a name for the future monarch, though one is expected to be announced in the next few days.

“Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight,” it said. “Members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news.”

William and Kate’s son is expected to follow Charles and William to the throne.

No one can tell what political and personal changes the intervening years will bring, but the baby can be expected to become the head of state of 16 countries, including Britain, Australia and Canada. The child will also eventually become Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

The little prince represents a living link to Britain’s imperial history — the infant is the great-great-great-great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria, who ruled at the peak of British power.

Many Britons had hoped that William and Kate would start a family shortly after their gala 2011 wedding, which drew a global television audience in the hundreds of millions.

The couple waited, however, until William was nearly finished with his military work as a search and rescue helicopter pilot based at an air base in a remote island off the coast of Wales.

That allowed Kate to ease into royal life, and to become more comfortable in the spotlight, before becoming a parent. It also allowed her to play a supporting role during Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations last summer.

The first months of her pregnancy were not easy, and she was hospitalized in early December with acute morning sickness that left her weak and dehydrated. She seemed to recover her stamina fairly quickly and made a series of public appearances until the final weeks before giving birth, drawing praise for her poise and good cheer.

The royal couple and their newborn are expected to spend much of their time in the coming years in renovated quarters at Kensington Palace, where William and Harry also spent much of their childhood.

Royal officials say Kate and William will try to give their child as normal an upbringing as possible. That may be challenging in an age when the British royals are treated as major world celebrities.