Royal baby: The prince meets his people in world media frenzy

The Duchess held her son first and the couple looked relaxed and smiled broadly as the world's media captured the moment.

William later held his son and walked forward with his wife to answer a few questions. He began by joking: "He's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure. He's a big boy, he's quite heavy. We are still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can."

William and Kate, looking relaxed and happy, brought their baby prince out into the public gaze and joked about their newborn being a "big boy".

On the steps of the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London the royal couple posed for the press and waved and smiled at the cheering well wishers who had gathered to witness the special event.

The baby prince was the star attraction and appeared oblivious to the flashguns of the world's press photographers going off, but did seem to be partially awake during his first public appearance, as his hand poked over the white shawl he was wrapped in.

The Duchess, who still had a little bump under her bespoke Jenny Packham summer dress, held her son first before handing him to the Duke who was casually dressed in dark trousers and a pale blue shirt with his sleeves rolled up.

The Duchess of Cambridge holds her newborn son, the third in line to the throne (Getty)

The royal couple gave an impromptu and good humoured press conference telling reporters about how their lives had changed.

Asked how he felt, William said: "Very emotional", and the Duchess agreed: "It's very emotional and such a special time and I think any parent will probably know what this feeling feels like."

William and Kate's appearance outside the Lindo Wing harked back to the day the Duke first emerged into the world outside the same hospital in the arms of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1982.

But the atmosphere was very different this time, as the royal couple were casually dressed and appeared to be at ease.

Joking about his son William added: "Well, he's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure. He's a big boy, he's quite heavy."

The new royal baby - the first Prince of Cambridge to be born for more than 190 years - was delivered yesterday at 4.24pm, weighing 8lb 6oz.

The royal couple have yet to name their son and the Duke said it was now a priority: "We're still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can."

Kate revealed that her husband was a hands-on dad.

Asked about changing nappies the Duke said: "We've done that already," and the Duchess added "he's done his first nappy already".

Joking again William said: "He's got her looks, thankfully," while Kate replied: "No, no, I'm not sure about that."

And poking fun at his apparent lack of hair the Duke said about his son: "He's got way more than me, thank God".

The Duke looked very relaxed holding his son and after speaking to the press for a few minutes returned inside the Lindo Wing with his wife.

The couple soon emerged with their son in a baby seat and William carefully fitted it onto the backseat of a Range Rover beside his wife before driving his family home.

A crowd of well wishers was waiting to greet the Cambridges when they arrived at Kensington Palace and they cheered as the Duke drove past and smiled from behind the wheel while his wife waved.

The Queen tonight revealed she was "thrilled" at the arrival of her first great-grandson.

During a Buckingham Palace reception for recipients of the Queen's Award for Enterprise Louise Butt, of Bath-based science marketing firm Select Science, said: "She (the Queen) said she is thrilled and she said he is a big boy. She said the first born is very special. We agreed."

In the hours before they left hospital William and Kate had received visits from their son's beaming grandparents - Michael and Carole Middleton and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Charles's visit to the hospital was an historic moment as it is believed to be the first time three male heirs to the throne - Charles, his son William and grandson - who are expected to reign, have come together in more than a hundred years.

The last time a similar gathering happened was likely to have been before Queen Victoria's death in 1901 when her son, later Edward VII, was with his son the future George V and grandson, later Edward VIII.

Asked how his first grandchild was, Charles replied: "Marvellous, thank you very much, absolutely wonderful."

Mrs Middleton described her grandson as "absolutely beautiful" as she left the hospital and, speaking about mother and baby, said: "They are both doing really well, and we are so thrilled."

When questioned by the world's media, camped outside the Lindo Wing, about how the proud parents were doing, she replied: "Fabulously."

Asked what the first cuddle with her grandson was like, Mrs Middleton, who had been ushered forward by her husband to speak to the press, said: "Amazing, It's all coming back."

But when asked if she had suggested a name for the baby, she said: "Absolutely not, but thank you."

Charles and Camilla spent almost 30 minutes with the Cambridges and the baby prince in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London.

A few minutes before the royals arrived, staff from the hospital were allowed to gather around the entrance to the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital in London to get a better glimpse of Charles and Camilla.

As the royal couple stepped from their chauffeur-driven limousine, the prince joked with the press, asking: "Have you had a long wait?"

Charles's visit followed the other new grandparents, Michael and Carole Middleton, who spent just over an hour with their daughter Kate and son-in-law William at the Lindo Wing.

Their visit came after the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and Honourable Artillery Company made their way to Buckingham Palace to carry out the ceremonial royal salutes in honour of the new addition to the Royal Family.

Prince Charles and Camilla leave The Lindo Wing after visiting The Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge and their newborn son at St Mary's.

Mrs Middleton told reporters her grandson is "absolutely beautiful" and the family are thrilled, after visiting her daughter in hospital. She added that her first cuddle with her grandson had been 'amazing'.

The Duke and Duchess spent their first full day as parents, following the safe delivery of a 8lb 6oz son at 4.24pm on Monday. There were celebrations across Britain and messages of congratulations were sent from leading figures across the world. Twitter descended into a royal baby frenzy when, at its peak, 25,000 tweets a minute were sent discussing his arrival.

Carole and Michael Middleton, the parents of the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at St. Mary's hospital to visit their daughter and her newborn baby boy

Gun salutes are fired for the birth of every prince or princess, no matter where their place is in the line of succession, the Ministry of Defence said.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, wearing full dress uniform, rode past Buckingham Palace to Green Park where they staged a 41-gun royal salute. 71 horses pulled six First World War-era 13-pounder field guns into position for the royal salute at 2pm.

Each of the six guns fired blank artillery rounds at 10-second intervals until 41 shots were fired. The Honourable Royal Horse Artillery fired a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London at the same time.

A full peal of bells have also began at Westminister Abbey, and will last for three hours.

The Duchess stayed overnight at the Private Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital with Prince William and their new-born Prince of Cambridge.

The Duke and Duchess released a joint statement thanking staff at the hospital on Tuesday. Their statement said: “We would like to thank the staff at the Lindo Wing and the whole hospital for the tremendous care the three of us have received. We know it has been a very busy period for the hospital and we would like to thank everyone - staff, patients and visitors - for their understanding during this time.”

It was business as usual earlier today for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in East Yorkshire. Speaking to villagers at Bugthrope, Charles told one young boy who asked when the baby would visit that: “We haven't been able to bring him yet.”

The village was decked out with Union flags and bunting. One member of the crowd, local resident Robert Barrett, was one of the first to greet the Prince, saying “Morning Grandad”, which raised a chuckle from Charles.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a 41 Gun Royal Salute in Green Park to mark the birth of the Royal Baby

Alec Dale told the Prince: “We popped a bottle of bubbly last night at our house. I hope you did too,“ to which the Prince replied: “Yes. But just a little bit.”

Camilla said Charles would make a “brilliant” grandfather as she spoke to crowds during the visit.

“I think it's wonderful news. I think mother, son and father are all well,” she told the BBC. “And I think it's a wonderfully uplifting moment for the country. “It's very exciting and it's wonderful for the grandfather - he's brilliant with children."

The Queen is expected to see her great-grandson after they leave the hospital.

Crowds of people try to look at a notice formally announcing the birth of a son to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, placed in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace

"Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone’s life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future.”

William's uncle described his joy at the new royal baby. “We're all so pleased - it's wonderful news,” Earl Spencer said.

The Earl, whose sister was the Duke's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, added: “My father always told us how Diana was born on just such a blisteringly hot day, at Sandringham, in July 1961. It's another very happy summer's day, half a century on.”

Yesterday evening, Trafalgar Square was illuminated in blue to mark the child's gender while the BT Tower was lit up with the message: 'It's a boy!'

The BT tower shows a message saying "It's a Boy" following the announcement that the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy

The British Monarchy's Twitter account announced the music being played during a special Changing of the Guard in a tweet: "Today's Changing the Guard music at #BuckinghamPalace will include 'Congratulations' 'Royal Salute' and  'The Duke of Cambridge March'."

London's Natural History Museum, of which Kate is patron, is celebrating the birth of the new prince by lighting up its main Waterhouse building blue at sunset every night for three nights.

Michael Dixon, Director of the museum, said: “Following the announcement earlier this year that the Duchess has chosen to be the patron for the Natural History Museum, we are overjoyed to receive news of the royal birth.