Simply by virtue of being born, the
newborn girl is fourth in line for the throne. That's behind her
grandfather Charles, the Prince of Wales; her father, William, who was
with his wife at the hospital; and her big brother, Prince George, who
was born in July 2013.
The
rest of the royal family -- including Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of
Wales and Prince Harry -- learned of the delivery shortly before the
public did, via Twitter. This was before a smiling William left the
hospital just after 3:50 p.m., waving to reporters before getting in a
Range Rover and driving away.
He came back a few minutes later with George, and the two headed into the hospital. George didn't stay long before heading back out, the palace tweeted.
After
waving to onlookers, the royal couple and their newborn daughter left
the hospital around 6:15 p.m. then drove off to meet their son at
Kensington Palace.
That means the whole family can now celebrate together.
But they won't be the only ones.
'I feel as though I had the baby myself'
This was a big deal in Britain and, if you scanned social media, the world as well.
The epicenter was outside
St. Mary's Hospital, where people had congregated for days -- some
wearing pink or blue, depending on their preference for a boy or a girl
-- ahead of the royal arrival.
Terry
Hutt, who just celebrated his 80th birthday, didn't care if the newborn
was a prince or princess; the more the merrier, he figures.
"Well I'd like both! Can you imagine how George feels?" Hutt said. "It's probably his new toy."
Royals welcome new daughter 01:22
The anticipation turned to elation when the good word emerged.
"It's
a baby girl -- what more can we want?" said one woman, adorned in a
blazer patterned with the Union Jack, who'd been there for 11 straight
days except to go home at night. "I'm over the moon. I feel as though I
had the baby myself. I'm so elated."
Amanda
Copko, a 27-year-old visiting London from Oregon, acknowledged that
"it's a silly feeling" given everything else happening in the world, but
still "one of the most amazing feelings" she's experienced.
"It's
so fun to be a part of it," said Copko, who plans to camp out until she
sees the baby in her mother's arms. "I have to kind of catch myself,
take a step back, and really soak it all in."
London landmarks to light up in pink
The excitement wasn't confined to St. Mary's Hospital, however.
Crowds
also swarmed outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, the queen's home,
many of them crowding around an easel containing the birth announcement.
British
David Cameron was among the many who welcomed the news on Twitter,
saying his is "absolutely delighted" for the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge.