London, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, welcomed a baby boy on Monday, the Buckingham Palace said in an announcement.
Prince Harry said they were “absolutely thrilled” about the birth and thanked well-wishers for the support they had shown throughout the pregnancy, adding that the mother and son were doing “incredibly well”, the BBC reported.
The newborn — who arrived at 5.26 a.m (local time) — weighs 7 pounds and 3 ounces. Prince Harry said the royal couple had not yet decided on a name for the boy.
The child is seventh in line to the throne and an eighth great-grandchild for the 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II.
“It’s been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension. But we’re both absolutely thrilled,” said Prince Harry.
The baby is a fourth grandchild for Prince Charles and a first for Meghan Markle’s mother Doria Ragland who is at the royal couple’s new residence – Frogmore Cottage – on the Windsor estate, after flying in from her Los Angeles home recently to support her daughter.
Speaking after the birth, Prince Harry said the baby’s arrival had been “a little overdue” and that he had planned to make another announcement in a couple of days’ time.
He added that at some stage soon the child would be presented to the public “so everyone can see the baby”.
Prince Harry has an official visit to the Hague scheduled for Thursday when he is due to launch the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games 2020.
He had been due to visit Amsterdam on Wednesday but that was cancelled, leading to speculation the birth was overdue.
The couple had announced in April that they had “taken a personal decision” to keep the plans around the arrival their baby private.
So, the wait had been a challenge for royal commentators faced with a paucity of facts beyond only that a royal birth was imminent.
The couple had made clear there would be no hospital steps photocall with the newborn, as there was with the Duchess of Cambridge and her three children.
The baby will be entitled to have dual nationality as the offspring of a British father and American mother.
