His Royal Highness is now homeward bound. Kate Middleton and Prince William finally got the chance to take their little bundle of joy home on Tuesday, July 23, just one day after Middleton gave birth to their first child — and third in line to the throne.
Reporters and fans of the royal family cheered loudly as William, 31, emerged out of the large double doors of St. Mary’s Hospital with a Britax car seat in hand Tuesday evening. (Watch the full video!) The good-natured prince hopped around the back of the waiting black Range Rover before securing his precious cargo into the backseat behind the driver’s seat.
Middleton made her way out of the hospital and slid into the back next to her newborn son.
After giving the waiting spectators one last wave, an excited Will mock-wiped sweat off his forehead and ducked into the driver’s seat. A protection officer sat in the passenger’s seat.
“Most of their time in the hospital was spent getting to know the baby,” a palace aide tells Us of how the proud parents spent their first night together as a family, adding that the next week will consist of “a little bit of downtime to get to know him.”
Middleton and William first introduced their little 8 lb., 6 oz. bundle of joy to the world earlier Tuesday evening, cradling the baby as they stepped outside the hospital’s Lindo Wing.
“I’ll remind him of his tardiness when he’s older,” William joked of Baby Boy Cambridge’s delayed arrival. Middleton’s initial due date was July 11.
Not that their little prince’s belated arrival made the parents too cross. If anything, Middleton revealed to reporters, the delay just gave William more time to prepare for parenthood.
“He’s done the first nappy already, he’s very good,” Middleton, also 31, said with a huge smile at one point. “[This is a] very emotional, such a special time. I think every parent knows how this feels.”
