It's Day One of parenting for William and Kate. After the excitement
and fatigue and joy of childbirth — emotions shared with a nation — the
young couple is expected to bring the prince home and start to care for
him.
But the lad's name — and his likeness — remain a
royal mystery. And as the infant child begins a long journey expected to
see him someday become a king, Brits — and people from around the world
— have been joining the royal family in celebration.
"The
whole country will celebrate," Prime Minister David Cameron said,
paying tribute to Prince William and his wife, Kate. "They'll make
wonderful parents."
After an impromptu party at
Buckingham Palace, more celebrations are expected Tuesday, including gun
salutes by royal artillery companies to honor the birth. Riders in
uniform will trot past the palace to Green Park, where six field guns
will fire 41 blank rounds.
The young prince was delivered at about 4:30 p.m. in London on
Monday, but the royal couple kept the world waiting another four hours
to learn of the birth.
Even grandfather Prince Charles
seemed clueless an hour after the birth. Asked by a reporter upon
emerging from a public event in the northern English city of York if
there had been any news, he laughed off the question and said, "none,"
as he got into a waiting car.
But news there was. The birth was announced via a formal press
release issued by Kensington Palace, which stated that the duchess "was
safely delivered of a son" at 4:24 p.m., local time, weighing 8 lbs., 6
oz.
Mother and son were both doing well, the palace said
Monday evening, and they were to remain in the hospital at least
overnight with Prince William.
"We could not be happier," William said via a palace spokesperson.
A
palace source told CBS News that William was with the Duchess
throughout her labor, and called the queen, Prince Charles, Prince Harry
and the Middletons with the news, at some point before the public was
notified.
While there were rumors outside St. Mary's
Hospital that Kate's family might visit on Tuesday morning, the palace
had confirmed nothing, and there was no indication as to when the
newly-expanded royal family might emerge to show off their little
prince.
Halfway around the world, royalist group Monarchy
New Zealand said it had organized a national lightshow, with 40
buildings across the island lit up in blue to commemorate the royal
birth, including Sky Tower in Auckland, the airport in Christchurch, and
Larnach Castle in the South Island city of Dunedin.
The
baby isn't even a day old — and may not even been named for days or even
weeks — but he already has a building dedicated to him.
In
Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said an enclosure at Sydney's
Taronga Park Zoo would be named after the prince as part of a gift from
Australia. The government would donate 10,000 Australian dollars
($9,300) on the young prince's behalf toward a research project at the
zoo to save the endangered bilby, a rabbit-like marsupial whose numbers
are dwindling in the wild. The prince's name — when known — would be
added to the bilby enclosure.
"I don't know if the royal
family would need this, but we'll probably give them a free pass to
Taronga Park Zoo as well," Rudd said.
British media joined in the celebration.
"It's
a Boy!" was splashed across many U.K. front pages, while Britain's
top-selling The Sun newspaper temporarily changed its name to "The Son"
in honor of the tiny monarch-in-waiting.nto a waiting car.
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