The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a son weighing 8lbs 7oz, Kensington Palace has announced.

Kate Middleton was taken by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, in Paddington, London, with Prince William this morning.

The baby prince will be 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.

The self-proclaimed Royalist Town Crier announced the birth of the baby prince on the steps of the Lindo Wing, marking the moment on St George’s Day by saying “God save the Queen”.

He drew cheers from the crowd of royal watchers outside the hospital.

The baby prince has arrived just over three and a half weeks before the royal wedding.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are due to tie the knot in Windsor in only 26 days’ time on Saturday May 19.

The Duchess of Cambridge is expected to be attending but, with her baby son only a few weeks’ old, she is not likely to stay for the entire celebration which will stretch into the evening and probably the early hours.

Her attendance is likely to depend on how she is feeling and how the baby is feeding.

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) has shared its delight at the news of the birth.

The Duchess of Cambridge became royal patron of EACH in January 2012. Shortly after she formally opened The Treehouse for the charity in Ipswich, where she also made her first public address.

At the start of last year, the duchess visited its hospice in Quidenham to receive an update on the nook appeal – the charity’s £10million campaign to fund the building of a new and improved hospice for Norfolk.

Her dedication to the good cause has seen a great increase in awareness and understanding of children’s palliative care across the country.

Graham Butland, EACH chief executive, said: “On behalf of all us at EACH, I’d like to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their third child.

“Her Royal Highness has been a fantastic supporter of EACH in her role as Royal Patron, including throughout her pregnancies, giving our media profile a significant boost and inspiring many people to raise funds for us, so we’re incredibly fortunate.

“I know from Her Royal Highness’s interaction with children and young people at our hospices, and from talking to the children and families who have met her, that she has all the qualities of a fantastic mum.

“We wish The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their family every health and happiness.”

Following the arrivals of Prince George in 2013 and Princess Charlotte in 2015, EACH was very grateful to receive donations in lieu of gifts for the births.

To make a donation to EACH visit www.each.org.uk/donate.