Royal Baby: A Timeline of Kate's delivery
It was Kate's fastest baby turnaround yet: before breakfast they were a family of four, and by dinner time they were already heading home as a family of five, with a new baby prince and a fresh blowdry for the tired mum.
At 8.22am (BST) on April 23, Kensington Palace post a tweet that the Duchess of Cambridge had "earlier this morning" been driven to hospital "in the early stages of labour."
At 10am, Kate's stylist Natasha Archer is spotted leaving the Lindo Wing of London's St Mary's Hospital, presumably having delivered the agreed-upon red Jenny Packham dress for the Duchess to wear at her new baby's first photo call.
At 11.01am, a 3.8kg baby boy arrives into the royal family.
Two hours later, Kensington Palace announce that Kate “was safely delivered of a son” and that Prince William was present: “Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.”
About 4.42pm, proud dad Prince William leaves the hospital to return with Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The big siblings handle the collected media like a pair of seasoned pros.
At 5.52pm, the media are finally rewarded with the shot they've waited weeks for: William and Kate emerge from the hospital door to pose on the doorstep with their new baby, barely seven hours old.
Kate looks polished in her Jenny Packham dress, Gianvito Rossi heels and the Queen’s diamond-and-pearl earrings, which she also wore on the family’s tour of Canada in 2016.
At 5.56pm, the couple leave the hospital with their new baby in a capsule. Loading him into the car, they drive home to Kensington Palace to begin life as a family of five.
