It's a boy for Prince and wife Kate

Prince William's wife Kate Middleton has given birth to a baby boy, Buckingham Place officials said.

The baby was born at 4:24 pm and weighs 8 pounds 6 ounces, the officials added.

The infant will be the third in line for the British throne after Prince Charles and William, who spent the long hours of labour at his wife's bedside.

The duchess had traveled by car to the hospital from another royal residence, Kensington Palace. Reporters outside the building said the couple had slipped into the facility through a side entrance, largely unobserved by the waiting press corps.