It's a princess!
That was the happy news on Saturday morning, after the
Duchess of Cambridge -- the British royal also known as
Catherine -- gave birth to her second child.
The little girl came into the world at 8:34 a.m. (3:34 a.m. ET)
Saturday at London's St. Mary's Hospital, Kensington Palace
announced. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces.
Simply by virtue of being born, the newborn girl is fourth in
line for the throne. That's behind her grandfather Charles, the
Prince of Wales; her father, William, who was with his wife at
the hospital; and her big brother, Prince George, who was born
in July 2013.
The rest of the royal family -- including Queen Elizabeth II,
the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry -- learned of the
delivery shortly before the public did, via Twitter.
"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well," the
palace tweeted.
But the royals aren't the only ones celebrating.
'I feel as though I had the baby myself'
This was a big deal in Britain and, if you scanned social
media, the world as well.
The epicenter was outside St. Mary's Hospital, where people
had congregated for days -- some wearing pink or blue,
depending on their preference for a boy or a girl -- ahead of
the royal arrival.
Terry Hutt, who just celebrated his 80th birthday, didn't care
if the newborn was a prince or princess; the more the merrier,
he figures.
"Well I'd like both! Can you imagine how George feels?" Hutt
said. "It's probably his new toy."
The anticipation turned to elation when the good word
emerged.
"It's a baby girl -- what more can we want?" said one
woman, adorned in a blazer patterned with the Union Jack,
who'd been there for 11 straight days except to go home at
night. "I'm over the moon. I feel as though I had the baby
myself. I'm so elated."
Amanda Copko, a 27-year-old visiting London from Oregon,
acknowledged that "it's a silly feeling" given everything else
happening in the world, but still "one of the most amazing
feelings" she's experienced.
"It's so fun to be a part of it," said Copko, who plans to
camp out until she sees the baby in her mother's arms. "I
have to kind of catch myself, take a step back, and really
soak it all in."
London landmarks to light up in pink
The excitement wasn't confined to St. Mary's Hospital,
however.
Crowds also swarmed outside the gates of Buckingham
Palace, the queen's home, many of them crowding around an
easel containing the birth announcement.
British David Cameron was among the many who welcomed
the news on Twitter, saying his is "absolutely delighted" for
the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Some of London's best-known landmarks in Parliament,
Westminster Abbey and Big Ben's tower will be lit up in pink
Saturday night in honor of the newborn girl, the Westminster
Council announced.
Sailors in the Royal Navy gave a shout-out not so much to
William or Catherine, or even their new daughter. No, the
message spelled out -- in sailors, lined up on the HMS
Lancaster, which is known as the Queen's Frigate -- appeared
more targeted toward little George.
It was one word: "Sister."
An instant celebrity
Much like their father, George and his little sister likely will
continue to get a lot of public attention growing up.
The media generally have been respectful of the royal family's
wishes to restrict photos of Prince George. And having the
family live at Anmer Hall, which is about 110 miles (180
kilometers) north of London's Buckingham Palace, should
help them have some semblance of privacy.
But Kate Williams, a royal historian, expects this will be hard
to keep up as the royal siblings enter their teenage years and
adulthood. In the British royals' long history, after all, it's
only now they're living in a time of abundant media outlets,
the Internet and smartphones. And the glamorization of
princes and princesses is as strong as ever.
In some ways, Catherine's newborn daughter will have an
easier time than her brother "because no one thinks she's
going to be queen," according to Williams. As a girl, though,
she may face different types of scrutiny than a boy might --
like what she's wearing, how her hair looks and more, much
like her mother has -- the historian said.
"Whatever the mainstream do agree to do, people are there
with camera phones, the internet ...it's going to be very, very
difficult to give (this baby) a real, private normal childhood
like Kate Middleton had simply because it's a huge celebrity,"
Williams told CNN. "Everyone wants a photo. It's going to be
very, very hard to hide her away -- (when) all these little girls
across the world just want to see the real, royal princess."
One question remains: What's her name?
While the older brother or sister is destined for a life of regal
duty and obligation -- of public engagements, investitures and
ribbon cutting ceremonies -- the role of the younger royal is
less defined.
That's the case for William's brother, Prince Harry, who has
been bumped to fifth place in line for the throne.
Prince Harry's ascension to the throne was a long shot,
anyway. The second child of royal parents is known as "spare
heir." Traditionally, they were expected to rule if an older
sibling died or could not become king or queen.
The life of the 'spare heir'
Her role will take time to define. But now that news of her
birth is out, what the world is waiting for is her public debut,
no doubt in one of her parents' arms, as well as her name.
When George was born, William and Catherine opted to use
the shorter version of his name. The chubby-cheeked
toddler's official name is Prince George Alexander Louis of
Cambridge.
George and his new baby sister may use "Cambridge" as a
last name when they attend school in a few years.
CNN's Elaine Ly contributed from London, and Faith Karimi
and Greg Botelho wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN's
Max Foster and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.
Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.