World awaits first glimpse of royal baby

As crowds outside the hospital waited for news about whether the Duchess of Cambridge will be 

discharged from the $10,000 per night maternity ward where she has been since the early hours of Monday morning, it emerged that bookmakers here have chosen James and George as the favored names for the future king. Other picks include: Alexander, Richard, Louis, Philip, Albert, Charles, Michael, Paddy, Nelson, Robert, Kevin, Wayne and Silvio.

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has the odds of the name James at 5/2 and George at 2/1. George is the name of Prince William's great-grandfather.

We know it's a boy. We don't know his name, although we do know he will travel under the Prince of Cambridge moniker. But the next order of business is this: We want to know what he looks like.

And the world is eager for that first glimpse.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge may be leaving St Mary's Hospital in central London on Tuesday after the royal baby was born Monday afternoon at 4:24 local time weighing in at 8lb. 6oz.

It is not clear how long the royal couple along with their new charge intend to stay at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's, nor has the precise timing of the release of the baby's name been announced, but we do know that the Duke overnighted at the hospital with his new family and that the young couple "could not be happier" at the birth of their son.

Last night, thousands of well-wishers from around the world celebrated the birth outside Buckingham Palace.

"We were told it may not happen today (Monday), and we are going home tomorrow," said Asif Shah, a retired civil servant from Pakistan who was on vacation in London with his wife and daughter. "We feel very lucky," he said.

The arrival of the Prince of Cambridge, born on the warmest day in Britain for seven years, will be marked later today with a 41-gun royal salute from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery as the troop rides past Buckingham Palace and Green Park.

At the Tower of London, the Honourable Artillery Company will stage a separate 62-gun salute.

It is being reported that all of Her Majesty's ships, whether at home or abroad in international waters, are flying the Royal Navy Ensign flag to mark the occasion.

But the recent record hot weather here was set to break, with forecasters warning of heavy and thundery showers, bringing the risk of torrential downpours and blustery winds.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/