Town Crier Tony Appleton announces that the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child, a boy weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces (3.8 kilograms). (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) - For Kate, the wait is over. The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth Monday to a healthy baby boy - a third child for Kate and Prince William and fifth in line to the British throne.
The couple's Kensington Palace office announced news of the birth around lunchtime, about five hours after the 36-year-old duchess and her husband traveled by car from their Kensington Palace home to the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in central London.
The palace said the baby prince was born at 11:01 a.m. (1001 GMT; 6:01 a.m. EDT) and weighed in at eight pounds, seven ounces (3.8 kilograms). Prince William was in attendance, and the palace said mother and child were both doing well.
"The queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news," the palace said in a statement.
Mixing tradition and modernity, the news was announced by the palace on Twitter and also proclaimed in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace through a framed notice perched on a golden easel.
Tony Appleton, a town crier from southeast England, showed up in full regalia to declare the newborn prince's birth outside the hospital. The words "It's a boy" flashed in lights around the top of London's BT Tower, which can be seen for miles around.
More ceremonial celebration is to come, including the pealing of bells at Westminster Abbey and a gun salute in London's Hyde Park.
The baby is a younger brother to 4-year-old Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who turns 3 next week. Both were born at the same hospital, as were William and his younger brother, Prince Harry.
The infant's name, which has been subject to a flurry of bets, hasn't been announced. Arthur and James are among bookmakers' favorites for the new prince, whose full title will be His Royal Highness, Prince (Name) of Cambridge.
Monday is St. George's Day, England's national day, but the baby is unlikely to be given the name since his older brother already has it.
The new arrival is Queen Elizabeth II's sixth great-grandchild and bumps Prince Harry to sixth place in the line of succession. The baby is fifth in line, after grandfather Prince Charles, father Prince William and his two siblings.
Charlotte is the first royal daughter to stay ahead of a younger brother in the line of succession. Before the rules were changed in 2012, male heirs took precedence.
Kensington Palace announced in September that Kate was pregnant with her third child. As in her previous pregnancies, the duchess suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness.
Officials announced her previous pregnancies before the traditional 12-week mark because she was too unwell to attend public engagements. This time around, it kept her from taking Prince George to his first day of school.
The 36-year-old duchess, formerly Kate Middleton, nevertheless kept up a busy schedule of royal duties during her pregnancy, including a visit with William to Scandinavia. She carried out her last official engagement on March 22 before going on maternity leave.
The birth was overseen by a team of doctors including consultant obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston and consultant gynecologist Alan Farthing - who were also called in for the births of George and Charlotte - as well as the hospital's midwives.
Television crews, journalists and royal fans had set up camp outside the hospital for the "royal baby watch" since early April in anticipation of the arrival.
John Loughrey, a veteran royal-watcher who has been camped outside the hospital for two weeks, said the baby would be "very good for our country and of course Her Majesty the queen."
"I'm so pleased it's St. George's Day," he said before the birth was announced. "St. George himself would be very pleased if the baby's born today."
File - In this Thursday, March 22, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge meet wheelchair basketball players, some of whom hope to compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, during their visit to the Copperbox Arena, London. Kensington Palace says Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge has entered a London hospital to give birth to the couple's third child. The former Kate Middleton traveled by car on Monday morning, April 23, 2018 to the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in central London. The palace says she was in "the early stages of labor." (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP, File)
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A notice is placed on an easel announcing the birth of the new Royal baby, in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, in London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth Monday to a healthy baby boy - a third child for Kate and Prince William and fifth in line to the British throne. The palace said the baby prince was born at 11:01 a.m. (1001 GMT; 6:01 a.m. EDT) and weighed in at eight pounds, seven ounces (3.8 kilograms). (Pool Photo via AP)
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A couple pose for a photo with their newborn baby as they leave the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child, a boy weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces (3.8 kilograms). (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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Police officers look on as artist Kaya Mar holds a painting as he walks past the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge has entered a London hospital to give birth to the couple's third child. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
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Town Crier Tony Appleton announces that the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child, a boy weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces (3.8 kilograms). (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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Royal fan Terry Hutt holds a toy baby outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge has entered a London hospital to give birth to the couple's third child. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
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FILE - In this Friday, April 24, 2015 file photo, Terry Hutt poses for the media with a sign that reads 'Not Long to Go' as he waits with other royal fans, outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London. Kensington Palace says Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge has entered a London hospital to give birth to the couple's third child. The former Kate Middleton traveled by car on Monday, April 23, 2018 to the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in central London. The palace says she was in "the early stages of labor." (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
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A plane flies overhead trailing a banner with the odds on the gender of the Royal baby above the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge has entered a London hospital to give birth to the couple's third child. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
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FILE - In this Thursday, March 22, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visit Sports Aid at the Copperbox Arena in London. Kensington Palace says Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge has entered a London hospital to give birth to the couple's third child. The former Kate Middleton traveled by car on Monday morning, April 23, 2018 to the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in central London. The palace says she was in "the early stages of labor." (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP, File)
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Police officers stand outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, Monday April 23, 2018. Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge entered a London hospital Monday in labor with a baby who will be a third child for her and husband Prince William and fifth in line to the throne, Britainâs royal palace said. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA via AP)
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The media gathers opposite the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge has entered a London hospital to give birth to the couple's third child. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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Royal fans John Loughrey and Terry Hutt, right, pose holding a baby doll opposite the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child, a boy weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces (3.8 kilograms). (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
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Town Crier Tony Appleton announces that the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child, a boy weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces (3.8 kilograms). (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
The Associated Press
Town Crier Tony Appleton announces that the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child, a boy weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces (3.8 kilograms). (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
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