The Royal Baby: what we know so far

Perhaps the biggest news of today has been the birth of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's second child. So, to save you trawling through Twitter for the info, here's everything you need to know.

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have welcomed a
baby daughter into the world today

The big question: boy or girl?
It's a girl!

When was she born?
The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington in west London at 06:00 BST on 2nd May. 

The announcement was made by Kensington Palace just after 11:00 BST, stating:

'Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34am.'

The Duke of Cambridge was present at the birth, and the baby weighed 8lb3oz.

How is she doing?
Kensington Palace have tweeted to say 'Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well'.

What will she be called?
The baby has been named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, and will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

huffingtonpost.co.uk
The first close-up images of the princess were
released early this evening

Alice and Charlotte were the two bookies' favourites, with Elizabeth, Victoria, Olivia, Alexandra and Frances also among some of those with the lowest odds.


How does she fit in to the rest of the British Royal Family?
The princess will be fourth in line to the throne, after Prince Charles (her paternal grandfather), Prince William (her father) and Prince George (her older brother), meaning her uncle Prince Harry is now fifth in line to succeed.

If her parents have another child who is a boy, this will not change the order of succession.

Princess Charlotte is the fifth great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their new
daughter on Saturday

What is the relevance of the princess' name?

Princess Charlotte's name features three of the bookies' favourites.

There was an earlier Princess Charlotte in Princess Charlotte of Wales, who had been the heir to the throne, but tragically died in childbirth in 1817 at the age of 21, much to the grief of the nation.

She was the only child of the future King George IV, and was the only legitimate grandchild of King George III at the time. Princess Charlotte's mother, the German-born Queen Charlotte, was King George III's wife, who bore him 15 children. She was a great patron of the arts and helped to create Kew Gardens.

The Duchess of Cambridge also has an ancestor named Charlotte, who was born in 1825 and died in 1900.

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Queen Charlotte (1744-1818)

The name Elizabeth is certainly not an uncommon one for the Royal Family. Our current queen is of course an Elizabeth, as was her mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Elizabeth is also Catherine's middle name.

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Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002)

Diana is of course given in reference to the Duke's beloved mother, who died tragically in a car accident when he was still a child. Princess Diana was one of the most popular members of the royal family and one of the most photographed people in the world, so this will, no doubt, please many members of the public.

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Princess Diana (1961-1996)

What celebrations and congratulations have taken place so far?
London's Tower Bridge and other landmarks such as the London Eye will be illuminated in pink, an echo of the illumination of monuments and landmarks such as the fountain in Trafalgar Square in blue for the birth of Prince George.

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Trafalgar Square fountain was illuminated blue
for the birth of Prince George

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Tower Bridge announced that it will turn pink this evening
to celebrate the princess' birth

As is traditional, an easel has been placed at Buckingham Palace giving details of the birth of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's daughter today.

bbc.co.uk
The notice will remain for twenty-four hours.

Many congratulations have also poured in. HMS Lancaster, known as the 'Queen's Frigate' sent a message of congratulations to Kensington Palace, while various messages of congratulations have been tweeted by many people, from Prime Minister David Cameron to the Welsh Rugby Union.

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The Royal Navy sent their congratulations.

Royal Gun salutes were fired at Hyde Park and The Tower of London earlier today. 

Updates:

4th May 2015
15:06 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's daughter has been named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. She will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

2nd May 2015
18:12 The Duke and Duchess left the hospital with the baby girl, who appeared to be asleep, to wave to the press and well-wishers. The baby was wrapped in a shawl and wearing a bonnet, and Catherine was wearing a yellow shift dress.

17:37 It is likely we will see the princess at around 18:30. 

17:35 Official statement from Kensington Palace:

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge will be leaving St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington this evening.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their daughter will travel home to Kensington Palace.
Prince George has now returned to Kensington Palace.
Their Royal Highnesses would like to thank all staff at the hospital for the care and treatment they have all received. They would also like to thank everyone for their warm wishes.

17:34 It is confirmed we will see the baby girl today.

16:13 Prince William has returned to the hospital with Prince George, and has entered the hospital.

16:09 Prince William has just left the Lindo Wing to drive himself to Kensington Palace, saying 'we're very, very happy' and adding, 'I'm just going to pick up George'.

13:26 Kate's hairdresser has been seen entering the hospital, sparking speculation that The Duke and Duchess will be leaving the hospital today.

Recommended viewing: 'Inside The Commons', BBC2

The concept of a BBC film crew being given unprecedented access to film in the House of Commons for a year is a concerning one: for the first time, the public gets to see what MPs are really like (to an extent). On the one hand, this could be very positive: we see that MPs are human, and just like us. On the other hand, it exposes suspicions about absurd traditions and a lack of true representative democracy. It's ultimately up to you as to whether you see this programme as encouraging or not, but it is doubtlessly fascinating.

Clerk of the Commons Sir Robert Rogers
telegraph.co.uk

Personally, I found Inside The Commons one of the most interesting, funniest and most entertaining programmes I've seen so far this year. Narrated by Michael Cockerell, Inside The Commons gives us the reality of the House of Commons, without hiding its flaws - and there are certainly plenty of flaws.

itv.com
Charlotte Leslie MP is a member of the Commons focused on
by the programme

The first person from an ethnic minority we see is Gladys, the lady in charge of the Tea Room - only 4% of MPs are from an ethnic minority. The Tea Room itself is laughably traditional, maintaining the feel of an exclusive gentlemen's club. There is an unspoken etiquette here, where certain members of certain parties sit in certain places and it is a faux pas to make a mistake with this.

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Interior of The Tea Room at the House of Commons, albeit
set up for a formal function.

The process of Prime Minister's Questions is a depressingly staged one, not that this was really a huge secret. The Prime Minister's PPS sends an email to all Conservative MPs with a set of 'suggested' topics: effectively, giving them a question to ask along the lines of 'Does the Prime Minister think we're doing a great job?', to which he will of course reply in the affirmative. The system of asking questions at PMQs is also a stiff one - those MPs lucky enough to be selected via a computerised ballot can ask a prepared question, while the others must 'bob', in the vain hope of catching the Speaker's eye.

guardian.co.uk
Sarah Champion MP is another of the relatively young MPs
the programme focuses on

I'm afraid that some of the footage of John Bercow as the Speaker of the House of Commons cemented my feelings of disdain towards him: I find him patronising and irritating. The procession for the Speaker is incredibly antequated: a man calls 'Spea-ker!' in a sing-song voice, while a procession glinting with gold comes down to the House. As they pass, the command 'hats off, strangers!' is called: we see a group of schoolchildren dutifully remove their caps as Bercow comes striding along, waving and nodding condescendingly. Clearly, Bercow has no real control over the nature of the procession, but I found his manner somewhat abrasive.

bbc.co.uk
John Bercow MP as the Speaker of the Commons

Personally, I found Inside The Commons one of the funniest programmes I've seen so far this year. Besides the fact I find it difficult not to laugh as soon as Ed Miliband opens his mouth, there really were some gems. David Cameron remarked that the Palace of Westminster looks a bit like a school; George Osborne looked mechanical and shifty as ever; Jacob Rees-Mogg felt applause was 'unparliamentary'; Sir Robert Rogers snorted snuff and remarked that it is 'quite invigorating'.

But I also found it depressing to a degree - it reminded me why people dislike politicians. The braying, baying and 'whay'-ing of the Commons makes me groan inwardly - it's obnoxious and rude. I'm all for passion in politics but when whoever is speaking cannot be heard, there's clearly something wrong. The traditions make the whole system feel out of touch and distant - the exact opposite of what a representative body should be. 

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Backbench MPs are as rowdy as ever 

I'm desperately hoping that the next three episodes of Inside The Commons will be equally as engaging and insightful, but will hopefully enthuse people about politics, rather than confirm their concerns.

Whether you're looking for entertainment, humour or food for thought, Inside The Commons is certainly worth a watch.

Episode One of 'Inside The Commons' is available on BBC iPlayer now.
Episode Two 'Inside The Commons' will be broadcast on BBC Two on Tuesday 10th February at 21:00.