Prince William and his wife, Kate, left a London hospital Tuesday, giving the world its first glimpse of the newest heir to the British throne.
The young couple smiled as Kate, accompanied by William, carried their newborn son down the steps of St. Mary's Hospital in central London to introduce the still unnamed baby to a crowd of well wishers and photographers gathered outside. Kate then handed the baby to William to hold.
Kate said they were "very emotional" after the birth of their son, adding that it was a special time, one familiar to any parent just having a baby.
Prince William: "Very emotional."
Kate: "Yeah, it's very emotional and such a special time. I think any parent.. sort of know what this feeling feels like."
Prince William: "Very special."
Prince William said the couple were still working on a name for their son and joked that the baby, born weighing some 3.8 kilograms, was "quite heavy."
"He's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure. He's a big boy, he's quite heavy. But we're still working on a name, so we'll have that as soon as we can. But .. the first time we've seen him really, so we are having a proper chance to catch up..."
After speaking to the press, William and Kate re-entered the hospital to place the child in a car seat before re-emerging to get into a black vehicle. William then placed the car seat in the back and drove off with his family.
Kate and William's appearance led many to recall that of his mother, Princess Diana, and father Prince Charles, leaving the same wing of the same hospital some 31 years ago. Both new mothers donned polka dot dresses, with Princess Diana wearing green and Kate dressed in blue.
Earlier in the day, Charles, his wife, Camilla, and Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, visited the young family at the hospital.
The new baby will displace William's brother, Prince Harry, as third in line to the British throne, after Princes Charles and William.
Soon after the royal birth Monday, messages of congratulations began pouring in from around the world.
In a statement from the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said they wished the couple "all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings."
Under a new law in Britain, still to be enacted by the country's parliament, the child would have been heir to the throne even if it were a girl. For centuries, preference was given to male heirs.
The young couple smiled as Kate, accompanied by William, carried their newborn son down the steps of St. Mary's Hospital in central London to introduce the still unnamed baby to a crowd of well wishers and photographers gathered outside. Kate then handed the baby to William to hold.
Kate said they were "very emotional" after the birth of their son, adding that it was a special time, one familiar to any parent just having a baby.
Prince William: "Very emotional."
Kate: "Yeah, it's very emotional and such a special time. I think any parent.. sort of know what this feeling feels like."
Prince William: "Very special."
Prince William said the couple were still working on a name for their son and joked that the baby, born weighing some 3.8 kilograms, was "quite heavy."
"He's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure. He's a big boy, he's quite heavy. But we're still working on a name, so we'll have that as soon as we can. But .. the first time we've seen him really, so we are having a proper chance to catch up..."
After speaking to the press, William and Kate re-entered the hospital to place the child in a car seat before re-emerging to get into a black vehicle. William then placed the car seat in the back and drove off with his family.
Kate and William's appearance led many to recall that of his mother, Princess Diana, and father Prince Charles, leaving the same wing of the same hospital some 31 years ago. Both new mothers donned polka dot dresses, with Princess Diana wearing green and Kate dressed in blue.
Earlier in the day, Charles, his wife, Camilla, and Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, visited the young family at the hospital.
The new baby will displace William's brother, Prince Harry, as third in line to the British throne, after Princes Charles and William.
Soon after the royal birth Monday, messages of congratulations began pouring in from around the world.
In a statement from the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said they wished the couple "all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings."
Under a new law in Britain, still to be enacted by the country's parliament, the child would have been heir to the throne even if it were a girl. For centuries, preference was given to male heirs.