The Duchess of Cambridge told the massed international media that it had been a “very emotional” experience, while the duke said that they were still working on a name for the third-in-line to the throne.
The baby raised a tiny hand above his white blankets but remained quiet and peaceful, despite cheers from well-wishers and shouts of hundreds of photographers outside the St Mary’s Hospital in London.
The baby was born at 4:24pm (1524 GMT) on Monday after at least 10 hours of labour, weighing a healthy eight pounds six ounces (3.8 kilograms), ending weeks of anticipation around the globe.
Kate, wearing a loose-fitting cornflower-blue dress, held the baby as the royal couple emerged from the front door of the hospital’s private Lindo Wing, before passing him to her husband.
“He’s got a good pair of lungs on him, that’s for sure,” 31-year-old William – the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana – told the press.
“It’s a special time,” added Kate, also 31. “I think any new parent would know what this feeling feels like.”
After speaking briefly to the press, William and Kate returned to the hospital before re-emerging minutes later with their son in a car seat.
William secured the seat in the back of a black Range Rover parked outside the hospital, before driving his family back to their home at Kensington Palace.
Kate’s sister Pippa was reportedly waiting for them at the palace.