Welcome to the royal family: Catherine gives birth to a girl

It’s a princess!

That was the happy news on Saturday morning after the Duchess of Cambridge – the British royal also known as Catherine – gave birth to her second child.

The little girl came into the world at 8:34 a.m. (3:34 a.m. ET) Saturday at London’s St. Mary’s Hospital, Kensington Palace announced. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces.

“Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well,” the palace tweeted.

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 at about 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 whether 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.”

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Related video Royals welcome new daughter

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. “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 he is “absolutely delighted” for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Some of London’s best-known landmarks in Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben’s tower were to be lit up in pink Saturday night in honor of the newborn girl, the Westminster Council announced.

Sailors in the Royal Navy gave a shout-out not so much to William or Catherine, or even their new daughter. No, the message spelled out – in sailors, lined up on the HMS Lancaster, which is known as the Queen’s Frigate – appeared more targeted toward little George.

It was one word: “Sister.”

An instant celebrity

Much like their father, George and his little sister likely will continue to get a lot of public attention while growing up.

The media generally have been respectful of the royal family’s wishes to restrict photos of Prince George. And having the family live at Anmer Hall, which is about 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of London’s Buckingham Palace, should help them have some semblance of privacy.

But Kate Williams, a royal historian, expects this will be hard to keep up as the royal siblings enter their teenage years and adulthood. In the British royals’ long history, after all, it’s only now they’re living in a time of abundant media outlets, the Internet and smartphones. And the glamorization of princes and princesses is as strong as ever.

In some ways, Catherine’s newborn daughter will have an easier time than her brother “because no one thinks she’s going to be queen,” according to Williams. As a girl, though, she may face different types of scrutiny than a boy might – like what she’s wearing, how her hair looks and more, much like her mother has – the historian said.

“Whatever the mainstream do agree to do, people are there with camera phones, the Internet … it’s going to be very, very difficult to give (this baby) a real, private normal childhood like Kate Middleton had simply because (she’s) a huge celebrity,” Williams told CNN. “Everyone wants a photo. It’s going to be very, very hard to hide her away – (when) all these little girls across the world just want to see the real, royal princess.”

One question remains: What’s her name?

While the older brother or sister is destined for a life of regal duty and obligation – of public engagements, investitures and ribbon cutting ceremonies – the role of the younger royal is less defined.

That’s the case for William’s brother, Prince Harry, who has been bumped to fifth place in line for the throne.

Prince Harry’s ascension to the throne was a longshot, anyway. The second child of royal parents is known as “spare heir.” Traditionally, they were expected to rule if an older sibling died or could not become king or queen.

The life of the ‘spare heir’

Now that the world has seen its first glimpse of the new princess, speculation has turned to her name. On the day of her birth, Alice, Charlotte and Olivia led the top three spots on betting websites.

If George’s full name is anything to go by, they might use all three. The chubby-cheeked toddler’s official name is Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.

George and his new baby sister may use “Cambridge” as a last name when they attend school in a few years.

Britain's Prince William and his wife, Catherine, walk with their three children -- from left, George, Charlotte and Louis -- in Norfolk, England. The photo was featured on the family Christmas card in December 2022.

Prince Louis is pushed in a wheelbarrow by his mother in Windsor, England, in April 2023. The photo was released by Kensington Palace to mark Louis' fifth birthday.

William and Catherine meet a boy dressed as a royal guard while visiting Boston in December 2022. The royal couple was in Boston to attend the Earthshot Prize Awards that William founded two years prior.

William and Catherine walk with Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

William and Catherine arrive with George, Louis and Charlotte at a school in Bracknell, England, in September 2022.

Prince Louis holds his hands over his ears as jets roar over Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade in London in June 2022. From left are Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles; Queen Elizabeth II; Louis; Catherine; Charlotte; George; and William.

This photo of Prince William and his children in Jordan was released by Kensington Palace to celebrate Father's Day in June 2022.

William and Catherine play drums while visiting the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum in Kingston, Jamaica, in March 2022. They were on a royal tour of the Caribbean.

This image provided by Kensington Palace made the family's Christmas card in 2020.

William and Catherine visit an air squadron in London in April 2021. During the visit, the squadron paid tribute to William's late grandfather, Prince Philip, who served as Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps for 63 years.

William and Catherine attend the funeral service of Prince Philip in April 2021.

William and Catherine visit Westminster Abbey, where a Covid-19 vaccination center had been set up in London in March 2021.

William, Catherine and their children arrive for a pantomime performance at the London Palladium Theatre in December 2020. They were there to thank key workers and their families for their efforts throughout the pandemic.

William watches Catherine pour a tray of bagel dough into a container during a visit to a London bakery in September 2020.

The royal family meets with naturalist David Attenborough at Kensington Palace in September 2020. This was after a private screening of Attenborough's latest environmental documentary, "A Life On Our Planet," which focuses on the harm that has been done to the natural world in recent decades.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, follow William and Catherine after attending the annual Commonwealth Service in London in March 2020.

William and Catherine visit a settlement of the Kalash people in Chitral, Pakistan, in October 2019.

William and Catherine escort Princess Charlotte -- accompanied by her brother, Prince George -- as Charlotte arrives for her first day of school in September 2019.

The family is photographed during Trooping the Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, in June 2019.

Catherine shows William and Queen Elizabeth II around the "Back to Nature Garden" that she helped designed as they visit the Chelsea Flower Show in London in May 2019.

Prince William kisses his son Louis as they pose for a photo in Norfolk that was taken by Catherine in 2019.

From left, William, Catherine, Meghan and Harry arrive for a Christmas Day church service in 2018.

Catherine holds Prince Louis after arriving for his christening service in London in July 2018.

Catherine holds their newborn baby son Louis outside a London hospital on April 23, 2018.

Prince William holds the hands of George and Charlotte as they visit the hospital to meet their new brother.

Harry, Meghan, Catherine and William attend the Royal Foundation Forum in London in February 2018.

William and Catherine attend the BAFTA Awards in London in February 2018.

Catherine is escorted to dinner by Norwegian King Harald V during a visit to Norway in February 2018. William is escorted by Norway's Queen Sonja.

This image of William, Catherine, George and Charlotte was used for the family's 2017 Christmas card.

Paddington Bear dances with Catherine during a charity event in London in October 2017.

The royal family arrives at the airport in Berlin for a three-day visit in Germany in July 2017.

This photo of Charlotte was taken in April 2017 by her mother.

Charlotte is held by her mother as her family ends an eight-day tour of Canada in October 2016. At left is her brother George and her father.

William and Catherine released new photos of Prince George to mark his third birthday in July 2016. Here he plays with the family's pet dog, Lupo.

Members of the royal family gather on a balcony in June 2016 during celebrations marking the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Catherine is holding Charlotte.

Kensington Palace released four photos of Princess Charlotte ahead of her first birthday in May 2016.

US President Barack Obama talks with Prince William as Catherine plays with Prince George in April 2016. The President and first lady Michelle Obama were visiting Kensington Palace.

Prince George gets a boost from some foam blocks for a special family photo in April 2016. The portrait, featuring the four generations of the House of Windsor, was commissioned by the Royal Mail and would be featured on a series of stamps to commemorate the Queen's 90th birthday.

William and Catherine pose with their children during a trip to the French Alps in March 2016.

The family poses for a Christmas photo in December 2015.

Princess Charlotte plays with a stuffed dog in this photo taken by her mother in November 2015.

William and Catherine pose with their children at Charlotte's christening in July 2015.

Princess Charlotte is seen with her big brother for the first time in this photo released by Kensington Palace in June 2015.

William and Catherine present their newborn daughter as they leave a London hospital in May 2015.

The royal family celebrates Prince George's first birthday with a trip to the Natural History Museum in July 2014.

The royal family waves to a crowd before boarding a plane in Wellington, New Zealand, in April 2014. They went on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.

The royal couple attends the Tusk Conservation Awards at the Royal Society in London in September 2013.

William and Catherine start an ultra-marathon in Holyhead, Wales, in August 2013. It was Catherine's first public appearance since the birth of Prince George.

The couple are pictured with their newborn boy, Prince George, in 2013. The new parents released two family photographs taken by Michael Middleton, Catherine's father.

William, Catherine and their newborn son depart St. Mary's Hospital in London in July 2013.

In April 2013, Harry, Catherine and William visit the set used to depict Diagon Alley in the "Harry Potter" films.

William and Catherine attend a St. Patrick's Day parade as they visit Aldershot, England, in March 2013.

In September 2012, the couple drank coconut milk from a tree that Queen Elizabeth II planted decades ago in the South Pacific nation of Tuvalu.

Catherine and William celebrate during cycling events at the Olympic Games in London in August 2012.

Queen Elizabeth II, William and Catherine stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012.

As part of their charity work, the couple attended a "healthy living cookery session" in London in December 2011.

The newly married royal couple watches a rodeo demonstration at a government reception in Calgary, Alberta, in July 2011.

Catherine shovels soil during a tree-planting ceremony in Ottawa in July 2011.

William and Catherine attend a Snowbirds air show during Canada Day celebrations in July 2011.

The Obamas meet with the royal couple at Buckingham Palace in May 2011.

The newlyweds walk hand in hand from Buckingham Palace the day after their wedding in April 2011.

After their wedding on April 29, 2011, the couple drove from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House in a vintage Aston Martin.

William and Catherine kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony in London.

The pair returned to their alma mater in St. Andrews, Scotland, in February 2011. They launched a fundraising campaign for a new scholarship.

The couple poses for photographers to mark their engagement in November 2010. Catherine received the engagement ring that belonged to William's late mother, Diana.

The couple cheers on the English rugby team during the Six Nations Championship match in London in February 2007.

The couple takes a photo after graduating from the University of St. Andrews in June 2005. They met at school and even shared a house with others while students.

Will and Kate's royal family

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CNN’s Elaine Ly contributed from London, and Faith Karimi and Greg Botelho wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN’s Max Foster and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.