The public got its first view of the new heir to the British throne Tuesday as Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, left a London hospital with their newborn son.
"It's very special," said
William, who emerged from St. Mary's Hospital with his wife a day after
the birth of their still-unnamed boy. Catherine held the child, wrapped
in a cream-colored blanket, as the couple waved to well-wishers
outside.
The couple is "still
working on a name," William said, "so we'll have that as soon as we
can." But he added, "He's got her looks, thankfully."
The prince has already changed his first diaper, the couple told reporters.
"It's very emotional. It's such a special time," Catherine said.
Photos: First look at the royal baby
The couple left the
hospital Tuesday evening with William carrying the boy out in a car seat
and installing him in the back of a black SUV for the trip to their
residence at Kensington Palace. They walked out down the same steps
where Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Charles gave the world its
first sighting of Prince William 31 years ago.
Shortly before the couple
left the hospital, Charles stopped by for a brief visit with his first
grandchild, accompanied by his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
He told reporters it was "marvelous."
And Catherine's parents,
Carole and Michael Middleton, visited earlier, with Carole Middleton
telling reporters the royal baby is "absolutely beautiful."
She said both mother and baby are doing "really well" and that she and her husband were "so thrilled" at being grandparents.
Bells, gun salutes
The 8-pound, 6-ounce boy
was born Monday afternoon. He's third in line, behind Charles and
William, for the British throne now held by his great-grandmother, Queen
Elizabeth II.
Tuesday, London echoed with the sound of cannonades and music to mark the birth.
Guardsmen at Buckingham
Palace, the queen's residence, played the Cliff Richard song
"Congratulations" at the Changing of the Guard. The military ceremony,
much beloved by tourists, involves a new guard exchanging duty with the
old guard in the palace forecourt.
The King's Troop Royal
Horse Artillery in Green Park fired 41 shots in tribute to the boy,
while the Honorable Artillery Company at the Tower of London fired 62
rounds.
At the same time the
bells of Westminster Abbey, where William and Catherine were married in
April 2011, began to peal, in keeping with royal tradition, and were set
to continue for more than three hours.
The news of the boy's
birth, announced about four hours after the event Monday, prompted
cheers and celebration among the crowds of well-wishers outside
Buckingham Palace. At least one group of well-wishers brought flowers,
champagne and a card for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Social media networks were also abuzz with the news, which made headlines around the world.
'We could not be happier'
The new parents spent
some time with their baby before calling family members -- starting with
the queen -- to announce the birth, a Kensington Palace source told CNN
royal correspondent Max Foster.
"We could not be happier," said Prince William, according to the Kensington Palace source.
Prince William remained
at Catherine's side throughout the labor, and the baby was born
naturally. An official bulletin was placed on a gilded easel outside
Buckingham Palace.
The celebrations for the
arrival of the new prince -- whose title will be His Royal Highness
Prince (the baby's name) of Cambridge -- were hard to miss in the
capital.
The fountains at
Trafalgar Square were dyed blue; the BT Tower, a London landmark,
flashed the words "It's a boy;" and the London Eye was illuminated in
patriotic red, white and blue.
Farther afield, Canada
-- where the British monarch is head of state -- turned its side of the
Niagara Falls blue to mark the birth, and the CN Tower in Toronto was
lit up the same color.
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