Britain has a new princess and eagerly awaits her name

Charanjeet Kondal, a software programmer, using his Morph Thing application predicts the future looks of Britain's new princess between two and four years old. [Photo/IC]

"If Diana was here, she'd be very, very proud," he added, referring to the late Princess Diana, William's mother.

The news was announced on social media sites like Twitter as well as by a traditional bulletin on a gilded easel in front of Buckingham Palace – a practice that dates to 1837.

A town crier in an elaborate costume _ with no official connection to the royal family – shouted out the news at the hospital's door, clanging his bell to welcome the new royal.

"May our princess be long-lived, happy and glorious," said Tony Appleton, reading from a scroll in a booming voice.

Britain's political leaders – facing a hard-fought general election in just five days – rushed to congratulate the couple on the baby. Goodwill also poured in from the rest of the world: President Barack Obama said he wished the family "much joy and happiness," while Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper said the British royal family held a "very special place in our country."

At 21 months, George is third in line to the throne, after his grandfather Prince Charles and his dad William. The newborn princess becomes the fourth in line, bumping Uncle Harry to fifth.

The last princess born so close to the throne was Princess Anne, the queen's second child, in 1950. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, were fifth and sixth in line at the time of their birth.

Thanks to a recent change in the law, the new princess will hold her place in the line of succession that for centuries had put boys ahead of their sisters. That means no younger brother will be able to overtake the new princess in the order of preference to inherit the throne.

Nonetheless, the princess probably doesn't have to worry about one day becoming queen, since royal succession rules dictate that the throne always passes to the eldest child. Younger siblings only step up to the job in rare circumstances – in case of an illness, death, or an abdication.

The birth of their second child marks a new phase for William and Kate, who were wed in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.

The royal couple is expected to spend more time in their country digs, a 10-room brick-faced mansion known as Anmer Hall on the queen's estate in Sandringham, 120 miles (190 kilometers) north of London. Their apartment at Kensington Palace in central London, where much of their staff is based, will still remain their official home, officials said.

Anmer Hall is also better located for William's new role as a pilot for Bond Air Services, a helicopter operator that works with the East Anglian Air Ambulance service. He will work with doctors responding to emergencies ranging from road accidents to heart attacks.