33 Royal Baby Facts That Answer Your Burning Royal Questions

The delightful bulletin being place at the palace forecourt by Badar Azim, a footman with the Royal Household, and Ailsa Anderson, the Queen's press secretary.

The large waiting crowd reading the bulletin

Royal Baby facts:

1. BBC News reported the wait of the Royal Baby with the phrase, "the people's pregnancy".

2. More than 250 reporters and camera crews from all corners of the world were assembled with Photographers’ step-ladders everywhere.

3. Some of the journalists were positioned at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital for two weeks.

4. During Prince William’s birth in 1982, reporters at the Lindo waiting were "entertained" by 2 young
men wearing just tea towels who streaked past the wing.

5. In 1982 a room at the private Lindo Wing cost £126.90 a day. Today the fee is at least £5,000 a day.

6. William and Kate's son weighed 8lbs 6oz. In 1982 William weighed 7lbs 1 and a half ounces; Charles was 7 pounds 6 ounces.

7. Kate travelled to hospital from Kensington Palace with Prince William to the private Lindo Wing by car not ambulance.

8. Duchess of Cambridge went in to the private Lindo Wing at just before 6am.

9. The Duchess of Cambridge was in labour for at least ten hours and there was no update from officials after 07.30.

10. The royal statement contained 45 words. All there was to sustain the world's media until the baby was born. The 45-word statement sustained international news channels as well for the waiting hours.

11. Kate's medical team includes the royal gynaecologists Marcus Setchell and Alan Farthing.

12. The couple's private secretaries and two press officers were at the private Lindo Wing during the wait.

13. Traditionally, reporters were to know the royal baby has been born when one of Kate's officials emerges from the Lindo Wing with a medical bulletin in their hands.

14. The medical bulletin should be on a foolscap sheet of paper rather than A4.

15. The medical bulletin, which states the baby's time of birth, gender and weight bears the Buckingham Palace letterhead and also signed by key medical staff, is traditionally carried from the Lindo Wing to Buck Palace by Ed Perkins, William and Kate's Press Secretary.

16. Thereafter there will be a "theatre" of the bulletin being placed on an easel at Buckingham Palace. William's was the first royal birth bulletin to be placed upon the easel.

17. But Kensington Palace changed their plans about this. The "theatre" of the birth announcement was replaced by a press release.

18. The easel moment still happened. But not as significant. The first reporters knew about the baby was when they released a formal press release.

19. William and Kate's officials say they made this change so the birth announcement could be made as "quickly and simply as possible".

20. Prince Charles travelled by train to York to undertake official duties as spectators await the royal baby.

21. Among the first to be told, once the baby arrived was @David_Cameron. His office was contacted by the Queen's office.

22. Prince Harry – who has said he can't wait to be an uncle, was at RAF Wattisham where he's based as an apache pilot.

23. William and Kate may choose to announce the name when they leave hospital-- or they may wait several days.

24. At some stage after the birth announcement, the Queen issued a statement of congratulations; and then the Prince of Wales.

25. William and Kate's son has replaced Prince Harry as third in line to the throne.

26. Prince William was not expected to speak to the media about the birth of his son immediately. He was expected to spend the night at the hospital with his wife and son.

27. William and Kate spent time "bonding" with their new born son before they told their family the news.

28. The newborn is officially called the Prince of Cambridge. He is the first royal to use that title in over 100 years.

 

BT Tower beams the good news across the capital

29. The last prince of Cambridge was more than 190 years ago. The last one was a grandson of George the 3rd.

30. The last time a still-serving monarch was alive at the birth of his or her great-grandchild in direct succession was 120 years ago.

That was the birth of Queen Victoria's great-grandson, the future Edward VIII, in 1894.

31. Royal births are usually celebrated with a 41-gun salute by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

32. Since the baby was born Monday there'll be a 41 gun salute at Green Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London Tuesday afternoon.

33. During her pregnancy, Kate said she wanted a boy and William wanted a girl.