Prince William’s wife Kate gives birth to boy

Prince William’s wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has given birth to a baby boy, the royal palace says, putting him in fifth place in the line of succession to the British throne.

The boy was born in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London at 11:01 a.m. local time on Monday, according to Kensington Palace. He weighs 8 pounds and 7 ounces (3.8 kilograms).

“Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well,” the royal palace said in a statement, adding that Prince William was present for the birth. The prince was born about 5 hours after Kate was taken to hospital.

The baby’s name is due to be announced later this week, but bookmakers are betting on Arthur as the likely choice. Arthur is one of the middle names of both William and his father Prince Philip, and it is also the name of folklore hero King Arthur.

Other possible names include Albert, Frederick, James, Henry and Philip. Bookmakers were also betting on possible names for a baby girl, with Alice, Alexandra, Victoria and Mary at the top of the list.

“My warmest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby boy,” British Prime Minister Theresa May said in a tweet. “I wish them great happiness for the future.”

Because of a recent change to succession laws, the boy is now fifth in the line of succession to the British throne, even though one of his siblings is a girl. Prior to October 2011, preference was given to boys even if a girl was born before them.

The newborn takes his place in the line of succession behind his grandfather Charles, his father William, and his two siblings, 4-year-old Prince George and 2-year-old Princess Charlotte. It also means that Prince Harry has been moved to the sixth place.

William and Kate announced in September that they were expecting their third child, about 2.5 years after the birth of their second child, Princess Charlotte.

The couple first met at Scotland’s St. Andrew’s University in 2001 and began dating two years later. They became engaged in 2010 during a private holiday in Kenya and married at London’s Westminster Abbey in April 2011. The royal wedding was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world, including 72 million people on YouTube alone.