The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a girl - with mother and baby both doing well, Kensington Palace has announced.

The new baby was born at 8.34am weighing 8lbs 3oz and William was at his wife's side during the delivery.

Kate was a number of days overdue and had been taken to the Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital at 6am from her nearby home Kensington Palace.

Kensington Palace said in a statement: ''Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34am. The baby weighs 8lbs 3oz.

''The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.

''The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news.

''Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.''

The Duchess of Cambridge's daughter is fourth in line to the throne, the Queen's fifth great-grandchild and a spare to the heir - and Prince George's sister.

The Prince of Wales will be overjoyed as he made no secret he wanted his second grandchild to be a girl.

Before the birth William and Kate said they did not know the sex of their baby, so the arrival of a daughter will be a surprise to them.

David Cameron led the congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth their new daughter.
 ''I'm absolutely delighted for them,'' the Prime Minister declared on his Twitter feed.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that he and his wife Miriam wished them ''all the best as their family grows''.
 ''This is great news and an exciting time not only for them, but also Prince George,'' he said.

Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted: ''Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess on the birth of their daughter. Wishing them lots of joy and happiness - and hopefully some sleep!''

 Meanwhile, Mr Clegg revealed he was invited into a voter's house to watch the announcement on TV.
 The Lib Dem leader tweeted: ''On the doorstep in Sheffield. Thanks to the kind constituents who invited me in to see the great royal baby news being announced on their TV''.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was ''delighted'' at the news and offered her ''warmest congratulations'' to the royal couple.

It was the announcement royal fans were hoping for - the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a girl.

The arrival of a Princess - the first Windsor baby to use the title for many years - will not just have delighted supporters of monarchy, but the Royal Family as well.

Proud parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be thrilled to have a daughter.

During her first pregnancy in 2013, Kate told a soldier at a St Patrick's Day parade in Aldershot, Hampshire, that William was hoping for a girl.

Guardsman Lee Wheeler revealed: ''She said 'I'd like to have a boy and William would like a girl'. That's always the way.''

Now with a first-born son and a second-born daughter, the Duke and Duchess have one of each.

The baby's grandfather, the Prince of Wales, will also be overjoyed, having confessed twice that he would like a granddaughter.

Charles, who has two sons and one grandson, Prince George, told a well-wisher after news of the pregnancy was announced: ''I'm looking forward to it - but I hope it will be a girl this time.''

As the Great Kate Wait continued when the Duchess was several days overdue, the Prince again spoke of his wish for a girl.

Meeting veterans and their families on Thursday as the Queen presented new colours to the Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle, Charles chatted to 100-year-old Eric Jones about his hopes.

The centenarian's daughter, Lynda Bateman, said: ''My father introduced me as his daughter and Prince Charles asked how many daughters he had.

''My father said 'One - and that's enough' and Charles laughed and said 'And we're hoping for a granddaughter!'''

Prince Harry too was keeping his fingers crossed that William would have a girl.

''I can't wait to see my brother suffer more,'' Harry joked, saying if the second child was a daughter he would ''love to see him try and cope with that''.

There were rumours that Kate was expecting a princess amid reports she was experiencing cravings for sweet treats - a sign of a girl, according to an old wives' tale. She was also said to have ordered several samples of paint in varying shades of pink for Anmer Hall, part of the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

But the arrival of a girl was a surprise for the couple, who chose not to find out the sex of their baby in advance.

A baby daughter was the firm favourite in the gender betting odds, with punters heavily backing the arrival of a girl.

It has been a quarter of a century since a baby born to the British Royal Family took the title of Princess.

The last - William's cousin Eugenie - daughter of the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York - was born in 1990.