New Prince among men leads to Royal demotion for Harry

Until its arrival, Prince Harry would have become King had Prince Charles 
or William been unable to do so.

The Succession To The Crown Act 2013, which 
received Royal Assent on April 25, changed the law to enable Kate and Wills' first child to inherit the throne if it was a girl.

However, yesterday's birth means the Act will not be invoked for many decades.

Kate gave birth in the 
private St Mary's Hospital, the same hospital where Prince William was born on June 21, 1982.

Long before the arrival of mobile phones and 24-hour TV and radio news, the 
announcement of the birth was made in a statement from Buckingham Palace:

It said: "Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was today safely delivered of a son at 9.03pm. Her 
Royal Highness and her son are both doing well.

"The baby weighs 7lb ½oz. He cried lustily. The Prince Of Wales was present. We have no names which we can announce at the moment."

So the birth of his first grandchild will surely bring back memories for Prince Charles, who in 1982 apologised to wellwishers outside the hospital for keeping them waiting.

Smiling and greeting the crowds that day, he said of his new son: "The baby's looking lovely. It's marvellous, he's not bad."

Just as there has been mounting speculation of the name of the UK's 
newest prince, bookies in 1982 were keen to make guesses as to what the new baby first name would be.

But the hotly tipped guesses – James, Charles, Edward, David, Philip and Louis – all proved wide of the mark.

It took Charles and Diana several days to announce William's name – although the name of their second son, Harry, was revealed immediately.

Although there are similarities between the birth of William and of his infant son, things were far different at the birth of Prince Charles.

Unlike William and Charles before him, Prince Philip was not present at the birth of his first son, choosing to play squash as his wife – then Princess Elizabeth – went through labour.

Princess Elizabeth also made changes to Royal traditions.

Before Queen Victoria it was customary to have 
a group of privy counsellors in an anti-chamber next to the birthing room 
to ensure the Royal infant was not swapped with 
a changeling.

But when Victoria's daughter, Princess Mary, gave birth to the future 
Edward VIII in 1894 she changed the custom to have just one Cabinet minister present at the birth, normally the Home Secretary.

During her first preg­nancy Princess Elizabeth made an official announcement declaring the practice would be stopped.

The Home Secretary, however, is still responsible for alerting the Lord 
Mayor Of London and the Channel Islands and Isle 
Of Man.

The Queen's private 
secretary breaks the news to governors general overseas.

One of the first significant occasions in the new Royal baby's life will be his christening.

The religious ceremony will be an important moment for the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge's first born who, as a future sovereign, will one day 
become the Supreme Governor of the Church Of England.

Royal christenings are traditionally private affairs, held behind closed doors when the baby is just a few months old and attended only by family, godparents and close friends.

A family photograph of the baby in its robe is usually released to the media.

Royal children are mostly christened by the Archbishop Of Canterbury, often in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace where William's ceremony was held.

Prince Harry was christened in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

William and Kate also have to decide who to choose as the baby's godparents. Royal babies usually have five or six godparents, although the Prince Of Wales had eight.

Contenders are expected to include the baby's uncles Prince Harry and James Middleton and aunt Pippa Middleton, as well as close friends of the couple, such as William's old school friend Thomas van Strau­benzee or perhaps one of the van Cutsem brothers.

Godparents often also have close historic ties to the Royal Family. William's godparents included Lord Romsey, ex-King Constantine of Greece and the Queen's lady in waiting Lady Susan Hussey.

Royal babies are christened in a replica of the intricate lace and satin christening gown made for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841.

The Earl and Countess Of Wessex's son, Viscount Severn, became the first Royal baby to wear the new robe at his christening in 2008.

It was made by the Queen's dresser Angela Kelly and the team of dressmakers at Buckingham Palace, and features the same lengthy skirt and elaborate collars and bow as its predecessor.

The original Honiton lace and white satin robe, which is 172 years old, was last used in 2004, after which the Queen commissioned the handmade copy so the historic outfit could be carefully preserved.

The ancient garment was crafted for the christening of Victoria, the Princess Royal, and was used for generation after generation of royal infants, including the Queen's father King George VI, the Queen, the Prince Of Wales, the Duke Of Cambridge and Prince Harry, with Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor being the last Royal baby to wear the delicate ensemble in 2004.

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