Kate Middleton has given birth to her third baby!

The Duchess of Cambridge has today given birth to her third child - a boy weighing 8lbs 7oz.

Kensington Palace announced that the baby was born at 11.01am, after Kate was taken by car before 6am to the private Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London.

The birth appears to have taken place without complications. The baby is fifth in line to the throne, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's sixth great-grandchild and a younger brother for Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Prince William was present for the birth, and both Kate and the child were 'doing well', according to a palace spokesman. Senior members of the royal family were said to be 'delighted with the news'.

Royal watchers had been expecting a swift delivery at the Lindo Wing, with the child sharing a birthday with William Shakespeare and Lady Gabriella Windsor, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

The self-proclaimed Royalist Town Crier announced the birth on the steps of the Lindo Wing, marking the moment by saying 'God save the Queen'. He drew cheers from the crowd of royal watchers outside the hospital.

A palace spokesman said: 'Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 11.01am. The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.

'Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news.'

The baby’s sex was a surprise to William and Kate, who chose not to find out what they were having. 

Kensington Palace said the name of the baby would be announced in due course, and a formal notice of the birth would be posted on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

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The new baby Prince of Cambridge weighed 8lb 7oz - heavier than both Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Charlotte, at 8lb 3oz, weighed slightly less than George's 8lb 6oz - but was still above average. The average weight of a baby in the UK is around 7lb 7oz (3.5 kg).

The Duchess is being cared for by consultant obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston, who is the surgeon-gynaecologist to the household, and consultant gynaecologist Alan Farthing, the Queen's surgeon-gynaecologist - part of the trusted team who delivered George and Charlotte.

Highly-trained midwives were also on hand, while experts were waiting in the wings in case of an emergency. 

When Kate gave birth for a second time, she delivered Princess Charlotte just two hours and 34 minutes after being admitted to hospital.

With Prince George in 2013, the duchess went into hospital at around 6am and her son arrived 10-and-a-half hours later at 4.24pm. 

Congratulations Kate and Wills! 

This article was first published on dailymail.co.uk and is republished here with permission.