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William And Kate Have A Baby Boy

Aired July 22, 2013 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: It may still happen, but what we are told is that there will be a press release issued before then, so we are all glued to the iPhones.

Could it happen tonight? Seems very likely. That is what we are reading into it, but unconfirmed.

You know, Brooke. You've done the whole Palace thing last year. You have to read between the lines a bit.

So, yeah, I mean, there's a real sense of excitement here at the moment.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I will not be insulted if you continue the glance down at your BlackBerry.

FOSTER: Brooke, Brooke, Brooke!

BALDWIN: Yes?

FOSTER: OK.

Her royal highness, the Duchess of Cambridge, was safely delivered of a son at 4:24 p.m., local time. The baby weighs eight pounds, six ounces. The Duke of Cambridge was present at the birth.

The queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, members of both family have been informed and are delighted by the news.

Her royal highness and her (inaudible) are both doing well, and will remain in hospital overnight.

So that's the news, a boy born at 4:24, which is just a few hours ago, eight pounds, so wonderful news.

You can hear the cheers. Can we spin around? There's the crowds. They're getting the information.

There you are, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I just want to sit on this. Ladies and gentlemen, the Duchess of Cambridge has had a little boy.

Max Foster, you have been out there I know for many days as has, I'm sure, the media circus. We have so many people to talk to, but tell me, so it was her husband -- so we know the Duke of Cambridge was in the room.

Do we know what -- I know you only know what you just got in your e- mail, but what do you know about the lead-up to this birth that she was overdue?

FOSTER: She was overdue, but she's had a really good birth. She always said she wanted to have a natural birth. That isn't outlined in here, but she came in and she was this the early stages of pregnancy. That was a -- or labor, rather -- that was a few hours ago, obviously, in the hospital.

So it does imply that she wasn't induced and she was in -- so 4:20, so she was in hospital -- so she was in labor -- so we're talking 10 hours of labor, over 10 hours of labor.

And a boy, eight pounds, six ounces, well, that's a very healthy size indeed, I think you'll agree.

And the Duke of Cambridge, obviously, the hands-on dad, he was there in the room. They must be delighted. We're told that the whole royal family are delighted and the Middletons. Of course, they would be. There was so much nervousness.

Hold on. There's a car coming here, so we're just going to check to see who this is for you, Brooke. The cars -- I'm just going to get out of the shot, so we can just make sure that we get whatever's going to happen here.

So this isn't a palace car, but it does look like official car as you can see. We're just going to see what is going to happen here. This must be the easel moment, I think, Brooke.

If we are correct, Ed Perkins, who is the palace press secretary at Kensington Palace, is going to come out with a little notice, and that's going to be handed to this car, I think. And it will be driven over to Buckingham Palace.

So a truly exciting little moment, but it is going to contain the same information as we've just been given. We're not going to get the name, it doesn't seem, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Max, let me just hit pause, and welcome our viewers in the United States, and around the world, ladies and gentlemen, it is a boy!

We are sitting here watching the doors of the private Lindo Wing at St. Mary's hospital where the duchess of Cambridge has been in hospital. We had been waiting and thinking she could have potentially been in labor for some 14 hours.

It turns out, we have just learned with our CNN royal correspondent Max Foster, about four hours ago she gave birth to a little baby boy, at 4:24, to be precise, there in London time.

The baby was eight pounds, six ounces. Her husband, the duke of Cambridge, was standing by.

And so Max Foster was just reporting, as part of all of this, there is, of course, as we love the British and the pomp and pageantry of all of this, the weddings and the jubilees and now the birth, the protocol has changed. So we have our camera honed in on the doors to wait.

Max Foster, as you are with me, as we are now speaking to the viewers around the world, remind us of this protocol change. We're waiting for the press secretary to arrive to do what?

FOSTER: What's going to happen here is a bit of theater. So the press secretary will come out with a piece of paper, a small piece of paper, and it will be framed.

And it will be driven to Buckingham Palace, and there's going to be a police escort for the car that you can see here, which shall take it to Buckingham Palace. And it will be placed on an easel, a grand old easel.

And the last time this was done, Brooke, was 31 years ago when Prince William was born in the very same hospital. So the easel has been dusted down. I imagine its been and placed on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

Ed Perkins coming out right now with the formal notification of the birth, huge cheers from the crowds who have gathered here. He's got a big smile on his face. It's been a few hours since the birth.

There he is, a big moment for him. He's only been in the job for less than a year. And the car goes off. There should be a helicopter shot coming up for you, Brooke, as this goes down to Buckingham Palace, a huge moment in British history.

BALDWIN: Max Foster, I just got goose bumps.

Max Foster, stand by as we, of course, watch it go to where that car is headed, as you headed, to Buckingham Palace. They have dusted up this easel. Look at the crowds, people who live in London, people who are lucky enough to be there on holiday, on vacation, taking this history in.

Becky Anderson is outside of Buckingham Palace for us in the thick of things. Becky, wow, what an evening in London. Tell me -- just set the scene for me.

BECKY ANDERSON, ANCHOR, CNN INTERNATIONAL: What an evening, it has been the hottest day of the year, one of the hottest days ever here, but the sun is going down and a little bit of a breeze, and the people are -- well, it has been a sense of anticipation all day.

But the crowds just ran towards Buckingham Palace. You can see them there now, and they are awaiting that gilded easel. You've just seen the birth notice leaving the Lindo Wing, the private wing of St. Mary's Hospital, where this baby boy, some four hours ago was born, eight pounds, six, to the duke and duchess of Cambridge. This will be the third in line to the throne. It will be the 43rd monarch, English monarch, since 1066, if indeed this kid ascends to the throne. It will be a long time before that happens.

But these crowds here at Buckingham Palace -- I'm just looking behind me -- nothing like the crowds, it has got to be said, that you saw during the royal wedding, but I anticipate that there will be thousands of people coming here tonight.

We're going to have a period, I guess, of about a half an hour. You saw the car leave the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's hospital. It is a drive under police escort of, I would say, about 10 to 15 minutes from St. Mary's hospital in Paddington.

If you know the geography of London, Paddington is to the sort of northwest of the city. It's in central London, effectively, and there's Buckingham Palace, right in the center.

Apparently the birth notice will be taken inside the palace. One assumes the queen, who lives there, already knows. We know that she was to be rung by William first, and this was about four hours ago and that was done some time ago.

And then the gilded easel, the moment that we have all been anticipating will be brought out into the forecourt there at Buckingham Palace and the official announcement will be made.

But we know the plans changed. It was never was supposed to be a press announcement ahead of all of this, so to a certain extent, some of the theater, some of the pomp and ceremony, a little bit sort of lessened here.

But still incredibly exciting day both for the press here and for the royal family at least and for the people standing outside of Buckingham Palace.

BALDWIN: I feel the excitement all the way here in the United States. And I was talking to one of the royal commentators a little while ago, and at least as you mentioned, it is likely that William phoned the grandmother of the news because she is an early riser and early to go to bed and, hopefully, the phone call happened hours ago and she is perhaps headed in that direction.

Let me bring in Victoria Arbiter, and stand by with me, Becky, because a lot of the voices on the historic day here, and Victoria Arbiter is joining me and she is live in New York.

But she knows the royal life very well, having lived in Kensington Palace, and her father was the press secretary for the queen for many, many years, and so exciting.

Your reaction, Victoria?

VICTORIA ARBITER, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: I am so thrilled that finally we know after all of this waiting that we have a boy. My first thought, I have to say, this is how brilliant a royal Kate is. There are women throughout British royal family history who have panicked not being able to deliver a boy, and here we are, Kate did it first time.

So it does mean a change in the next succession conversation is over, and Kate has had a healthy baby boy.

BALDWIN: And here is something interesting for people who did not realize. As I did my royal homework to prepare for the Diamond Jubilee last summer, I realized that before she married who is now the duke of Cambridge, Prince William, the royal family must make sure that she is healthy and that she could bear a child.

ARBITER: Well, there is a lot of talk about this, but I don't know how concrete and true that actually is.

But at the end of the day, they really want William in this day and age -- that is the way it was back then, but they want William to marry someone he loves because that is a large part of the future of the monarchy to make sure it is the person he lives with, and not the part of the arranged marriage.

And obviously, they want to make sure that she is healthy, but the fact that they loved each other and in it for the long haul is important especially after the trials and the tribulations of the '90s.

BALDWIN: I am sure that you wish you were in London and surrounded by the people to be a lucky tourist to happen past Buckingham Palace as they bring it there.

And it is important to say that it was just 38 years ago when we saw another famous couple Princess Diana and Prince Charles descend with their baby boy and now Prince William.

ARBITER: And it is going to be a poignant moment because the photographs of Charles and Diana are iconic, and we look back over them and pour over them years and years after when they happened so it is going to be special to see William and Kate recreating that pose, shall I say.

And yes, I really feel that this is when the patriotism kicks in. The British don't tend to get excited, and we are a cynical bunch, but give us a little bit of pomp and pageantry, and we do run with it.

The buzz in London must be thrilling as, indeed, up and down the country.

BALDWIN: I am sure, Victoria, and thank you so much, Victoria Arbiter for us.

And now back to London where you see all of the people outside of the Buckingham Palace awaiting the easel. We saw the people leave the hospital and now next stop is where you are, Becky Anderson, and the official birth announcement. ANDERSON: Yes, it is going to be 10 or 15 minutes before you see the car pull into Buckingham Palace. The gates were opened 10 minutes ago.

The official birth notice, we understand, will go into Buckingham Palace. The gilded easel is already on the forecourt, so it is just the question of the official notice of the birth of this baby boy, eight pounds, six, born about four-and-a-half hours ago.

It's just a question of time before we see that official notice posted on that gilded easel.

In the past, the official notice was just stuck on the gates here at Buckingham Palace, but they do things with a little more sort pomp and ceremony as it were these days, perhaps our benefit as much as theirs. So that should happen within the next 20 minutes or so.

And then, of course, we come to the question of what, will the baby boy be called? And that was never going to be part of this official announcement. It took them like 10 days before we knew William's name back in 1982.

It took a month before we knew Prince Charles' name was. It took a month because they officially announced his name at his christening here, a month from his birth back in 1948.

And do you remember before that, the royal babies were born at the palace, and there'd be about sort of 30 people in attendance in the old days?

I've got Kate Williams with me here who is a royal correspondent. And, Kate, you know, 30 people in attendance in the old days, what we do know today was that it was simply the duchess of Cambridge and her husband, the duke of Cambridge, better known as Prince William.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Yes, and the medical team, those were the only people in the delivery room. There was some talk of the Middletons being there. They weren't.

Of course, the queen is here. Charles and Camilla are on a separate visit in York, and, as you say, very different to the old days in which -- actually in 1688. there was once an announcement that more than 80 people gave witness to the birth.

The birth were a public occasion. It was a great honor to attend. Not so much fun for the consort.

ANDERSON: Well, one of the things that used to happen was that the home secretary, who was sort of in charge in the country, as it were, and the cabinet underneath the prime minister, used to be at the birth to witness it just in case, I think that I'm right, in case they swapped the babies out, just in case a commoner ...

WILLIAMS: Yes, a commoner, just imagine. Just in case the baby was born and it perhaps -- in the old days in which babies were stillborn, they swapped it for a commoner. What a shock, someone better looking or bigger.

So they had brought in the home secretary just to check, but King George VI, when his daughter, Elizabeth, was about to have Prince Charles, he just thought, my goodness, if our home secretary comes, so do all of the home secretaries of the commonwealth, too many.

ANDERSON: And this is the car that left the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital, being handed to the royal aide, what a moment here in British history.

The birth notice going into the Buckingham Palace and, Brooke, the next time we see that birth certificate, the first time we see it, is on that, the gilded easel.

BALDWIN: The gilded easel where we saw the birth announcement, 31 years ago, again, with Prince William.

I go back to the images and the pictures. I remember 31 years ago seeing Princess Diana and Prince Charles carrying a young baby boy at the time.

Back to you, Becky, because you know all about the pomp and pageantry of the British, and I'm curious if there will be celebratory gun salutes and royal flyovers for this little one.

ANDERSON: Yeah, there will be the gun salutes, 41 in Green Park which is just where we are. If you know London and you had your back to Buckingham Palace, it's on the left hand side. There will be a 41 gun salute.

What I understand is it may not be -- I'm pretty sure that it won't be tonight now. I think it will be either 2:00 -- about 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. I think that's possibly so they don't wake people up in the evening.

A 62 gun salute from the Tower of London, as well, the bells will peel and the fountains at Trafalgar Square -- we're waiting for this moment -- will turn blue, I am told. It was either or pink. The water will turn blue because this is a baby boy, eight pounds, six, born at 4:24 about four-and-a-half hours ago now. It is a little baby boy.

BALDWIN: So as we look at the live split screen and we see the people and the -- I see media and cameramen rushing the gates there at Buckingham Palace. The right side, you see the gilded easel as we await the birth announcement.

The next big moment, Becky Anderson, will be that shot -- will we see that shot of the duke and the duchess of Cambridge leaving the hospital. When might that be?

ANDERSON: Well, that is one would guess. Certainly they have said in the announcement tonight that they will stay at the hospital for a period of time.

Now, you know, we are talking about a birth that took -- I'll bring Kate Williams in here, royal commentator -- a birth that took about 10 hours, pretty exhausting stuff for anybody at the best of times

For somebody who knows that the eyes of the world will be on her when she appears on those steps, as Charles and Diana did back in 1982, you'd want to sort of get yourself sorted out somewhat, wouldn't you?

So I think Kate will agree with me here if I say it will probably be, what, 24 hours from now, maybe 48?

WILLIAMS: Yes, we don't expect to see them coming out immediately. As you say, it's been a long birth, a very hot day. She's been in labor for at least since 6:00 this morning, if not all night as well last night, and so I don't think we're going to see her for a few days.

And that moment when Diana came out on the steps with Charles, with William, it was so iconic. It really has gone down in history, so when they repeat it -- of course, a very rare because before Diana all royals gave birth at home, so we never saw it.

When William and Kate and the baby repeat it, it's going to be a big moment, that photo will be this child's most notable photo for years.

ANDERSON: One of those television moments that will last about 15 seconds, but all of us will remember for the rest of our lives, Brooke.

BALDWIN: That's the moment. Other than the moment that we got 15 minutes ago, now knowing that it is a baby boy, eight pounds, six ounces, that will be the next moment.

Ladies, we'll come back to you. Becky and Kate, I appreciate you there outside of Buckingham Palace as we await the birth announcement to be placed on the easel in front of the palace.

Let me go back to Victoria Arbiter, and my question to you is, I love the pomp and the pageantry, of course, of the British and this birth announcement landing on this easel.

But juxtapose that, Victoria, with a more modern couple. From what I understand, the duke of Cambridge -- and here we have -- Victoria, let me just stop myself.

Walk us through what's happening here, the birth announcement.

ARBITER: Well, there we have the queen's press secretary who has just placed the birth announcement on the gilded easel.

This easel has only ever been used for Prince William's birth announcement, so we are seeing the first time history repeating itself. It is lovely they have set up this bit of theater, I suppose, that the son of Prince William should use the same easel, so it's thrilling.

On that announcement, we see that it has been signed by the medical team. I can't see it very closely, but I think it has probably got the time of birth, the weight of the baby, and, of course, the gender, which we all know now is a boy.

BALDWIN: So this is something that we watched -- correct me if I'm wrong -- Victoria.

This is something that we watched from St. Mary's Hospital come to Buckingham Palace. We saw it walk inside of Buckingham Palace.

What happened in Buckingham Palace? What happened in the last five minutes before it was placed on the easel?

ARBITER: The announcement was taken inside to be framed. It just was brought over on the parchment paper and then taken inside to be framed and the press secretary of the queen was given the honors to place it on the easel.

BALDWIN: And juxtaposing this pomp and pageantry with the modern family with Kate and William and I know talk of him taking his full paternity leave.

ARBITER: Yes, William will take his full paternity leave. He is given it by the ministry of defense and, when William is at work, he is William Wales and just like the other guys and I don't believe that the other rescue workers would want, so I think they're going to be relishing their time at home with the baby over the next couple of weeks.

BALDWIN: How exciting, exciting.

Victoria, thank you very much.

I want to go back to our correspondent who broke the news live on CNN of this baby boy who was born just a couple of hours ago. Max, what are you learning?

FOSTER: Well, I've learned that it wasn't a C-section, the palace sources telling me that. William was there throughout. It was just the two of them and the medical team, a very hands-on father.

And there was this gap of three, four hours between delivery of the baby and the announcement. And I've been told that Kate and William just wanted to spend time with their new baby.

Had some calls to make as well. Didn't take too long. Between the two of them they rang the queen, Prince Harry, the prime minister and the like, a huge sense of excitement.

They wanted to spend that time with their own first baby, make the necessary calls. It was a normal labor and everyone is very, very well. So it's gone brilliantly.

BALDWIN: Max, I wasn't quite sure. Did you say it was or was not a Caesarean section?

FOSTER: It was not a Caesarean section. It was a natural birth.

BALDWIN: Got it. Which is what we know Kate wanted. I hear the screams around you. Can I just ask you on the fly as we're talking live, can you tell me what's around you outside of this hospital?

FOSTER: I can, if we're able to turn the camera. We're in this very tight pen, Brooke, but you've got the crowds over there.

Behind the camera, you've got a massive media, but this lot were literally screaming within moments of us announcing the news.

They took a chance to come down here today and they saw a moment in history and they're going to stick here, I'm sure, until you have the moment when the couple appear on the steps.

But almost certainly that won't be today. It will probably be in the morning.

BALDWIN: Could be in the morning, could be the next day. Look at the crowds. Max, thank you.

Look at the crowds lining up outside of Buckingham Palace, my goodness.

Matthew Chance is somewhere in this crowd outside of Buckingham Palace. Matthew, tell me where you are and, I mean, what a scene.

MATTHEW CHANCE , CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely incredible scene.

We've actually been kept back from the gates of Buckingham Palace, which is where that notification has been put out on the easel.

You can see there are hundreds of people that have gathered outside those gates now. There's big cheers being raised now. The easel is there. The notification is there for people trying to get a photo of.

There are helicopters in the sky as well in what's going to be a great deal of celebration over the coming hours and indeed over the coming days as this momentous event is celebrated by not just British people, but by people all over the world, I suspect, by a lot of people out here at Buckingham Palace.

A lot of people around the world have come here just to see this uniquely British spectacle. It is an international event, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We know when the queen is in her residence it's because the royal standard flag is flying high. She's home. We know the phone call was made from her grandson, yes, we had a boy.

Do we have any idea what's happening behind those Buckingham Palace doors?

CHANCE: Well, I expect there's some celebrations being had inside Buckingham Palace right now. You're right, the queen does traditionally go to bed relatively early. The flag is up there. It's not flying very much. There's no wind today. One of the other features, it's been the hottest day on record for seven years, so it's been really sweltering. So all these people have come out despite the searing heat here, so, yeah, a lot of celebrations going on inside and outside the palace.

BALDWIN: Not a fun time to be pregnant, I suppose, in London.

Matthew, stand by for me. Let me back go to Victoria Arbiter, who is also standing by. She lived in Kensington Palace for some time.

Her father was a press secretary for the queen, so she knows a bit about the pomp and pageantry that goes along with the British and it's so entirely exciting.

What is next once we see, Victoria, the happy couple and the baby boy? Presumably we see this big photo-op that we wait for, leaving St. Mary's Hospital, moving on with their lives.

Where do they go next?

ARBITER: My guess is that they'll leave probably early tomorrow afternoon. Kate may have a couple of family visitors in the morning.

Immediately they'll go to Kensington Palace where they'll stay in their cottage, probably for certainly the next week to two weeks. I think any new parent likes to have quality time with their baby. They're sort of learning the ropes, and getting to know them.

Their main apartment at Kensington Palace isn't ...

BALDWIN: Victoria, forgive me. Let me cut you off. Let's listen.

Victoria, do you have any idea what we're looking at? This is clearly outside of St. Mary's Hospital.

ARBITER: This is traditionally an old town crier. Back in the day, he would go out into the street and ring the bells to make the announcement. I suppose they didn't have Twitter back in the day.

So we do have a bit of theatrics here, which is quite wonderful. He's tolling the bell, saying, "God save the queen," and announcing the new arrival.

BALDWIN: Oh, my good, so forgive me for interrupting you. I just saw a man and said we needed to go there.

But back to where you were, which was you said they would likely leave the hospital tomorrow, back to Kensington Palace, that's where ...

ARBITER: And after Kensington Palace, their aides have said they haven't made any decisions yet, but they've got a few options.

The queen is going to be up in Balmoral. It gives the family complete and utter freedom, or they could go to Bucklebury. It's a slim possibility they'll be there. They could just stay at Kensington Palace or William has to be back in Wales. He has search-and-rescue work to complete before September. They're going to take it one day at a time and figure out what's best for the family.

BALDWIN: We're looking at live pictures. We saw the official birth announcement signed by the medical staff travel from St. Mary's Hospital all the way down the road to Buckingham Palace, which was placed on top of this gilded easel.

This was the moment where it was taken inside Buckingham Palace, framed, and then placed on this easel. It's a boy.

If you're just joining us, the duchess of Cambridge came birth to a baby boy just a few hours ago at 4:20 p.m. London time. He is eight pound, six ounces.

A lot of people were wondering who would be in the room. We have just learned that it was just the duke and duchess.

Back to you, Victoria. You mentioned the paparazzi. It's been a tenuous relationship with the paparazzi.

So many people will want to get pictures of this little baby boy. Will they respect the royal family's wishes?

ARBITER: They've certainly respected the family's wishes significantly more so after Diana's death than they did before.

Even this morning, it was two photographers that spotted Kate going into the hospital before anybody else knew and they chose not to take a photograph.

That speaks volumes about the relationship that has developed between the press and the paparazzi.

The worry you have is international media, international photographers who don't adhere to the same strict guidelines. They're not worried about upsetting their relationship with the palace.

And William has a difficult time disassociating legitimate media and photographers with the paparazzi. He kind of lumps everyone together.

So it's going to be a balancing act for everybody moving forward because, of course, these pictures are worth a lot.

BALDWIN: Victoria Arbiter, we appreciate you so very much. And I'm sure you'll be on TV the rest of the evening.

I want to thank all of you for watching. What a day, what an evening for everyone in London.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me.

John Berman in for Jake Tapper, "The Lead" begins right now.