Kate & William Give Birth to a Son

A future king was born yesterday after Kate Middleton and Prince William gave birth to a healthy son. After months of speculation and weeks of rumours, the world's attention was on St Mary's hospital in Paddington when Kate went into labour early Monday morning.

It had been expected that the first news would come from the traditional placing of a medical bulletin on an old wooden frame on Buckingham Palace's forecourt. However, in the end tradition was slightly rewritten, with the first news coming at around 8.30pm last night in a statement from Kensington Palace that read:

"Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm. The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. 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. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight."

The traditional notice of the birth did follow, being placed on a golden easel outside the palace, to cheering crowds (as pictured top). That was followed by a short statement from William revealing they "could not be any happier".

The BT Tower announces the birth in London

After resting overnight, the Duchess of Cambridge could be discharged from hospital today, giving the public the first glimpse of the new prince. The other big question mark is over the baby's name, which no one knows when will be revealed. Bookies have George as favourite, with James and Alexander also high on the list- all traditional royal names.

Celebrations Around the World

Throughout London, the UK, and indeed the world, major landmarks celebrated the royal birth with lights and messages.

The London Eye in patriotic colours

The London Eye lit up in the colours of the union jack, whilst many others went for plain blue to celebrate the son. Within London the fountains of Trafalgar Square and Tower Bridge both glowed blue, whilst around the world landmarks including CN Tower in Toronto, the Peace Tower in Ottawa and Christchurch Airport in New Zealand all followed suit.

Tower Bridge glows blue for the prince

However, possibly the most spectacular site was seen at Niagara Falls, where lights lit the water in a bright blue. The celebrations will continue today, with Westminster Abbey set to ring it bells for 3 hours from 2pm, alongside numerous gun salutes around the capital.

Niagara Falls looked spectacular in blue

British Newspapers Mark the Birth

Never ones to miss a sales boosting national event, the British newspapers all created special front pages for the royal baby. Many went with expected headlines like 'It's a Boy' and 'A Prince is Born'. However, we especially liked the The Sun's extra special effort on the left below, though their terrifying prediction of what the baby could look like is not so special.

The Sun's front page (left) and their frightening mock-up of what the baby could look like!

Make sure you check back on the ForeignStudents.com blog for all the latest developments on the royal baby, including its name.

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