Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate on Wednesday named their baby boy George Alexander Louis, sticking firmly to royal tradition with a first name used by six previous monarchs.
George was the bookmakers' clear favourite for the third-in-line to the throne as it pays apparent tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's father King George VI, the infant's great-great-grandfather, who died in 1952.
Louis is one of William's middle names and was also the first name of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Viceroy of India and a mentor to Prince Charles. Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bombing in the 1970s.
The announcement of the name came just hours after the queen visited William and Kate at Kensington Palace, their London residence, and met her newborn great-grandson for the first time.
The 87-year-old monarch would have given final clearance for the name to ensure that it was in keeping with the traditions of the House of Windsor and a monarchy that has lasted more than 1,000 years.
Royal aides said the couple had no immediate plans to hire a nanny, and Kate is expected to rely on her mother for support in the early weeks.
The new baby was revealed to the world when the royal couple left St Mary's Hospital in London on Tuesday evening to huge cheers from the international media massed outside.
The baby behaved impeccably, raising a tiny hand above his white blankets -- his first royal wave of a lifetime that will be spent in the public eye.
"He's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure," William joked, adding: "We are still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can."British newspapers noted the similarities between William and Kate's appearance and that of Charles and Diana following William's birth at the same hospital.
Congratulations have poured in from around the world, while Chinese fortune tellers predicted the baby will grow up to be determined but introverted – and a big hit with the ladies.
