The Countess of Wessex has given birth to a baby boy, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Sophie, 42, and the Earl of Wessex, who was said to have been present at the birth, are "absolutely thrilled".

The new addition to the Royal Family weighed 6lb 2oz and was delivered safely by caesarean section at 4.20pm at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.

The baby is the Queen's and the Duke of Edinburgh's eighth grandchild.

The couple already have a daughter, four-year-old Lady Louise Windsor.

The Queen and the Duke, and Sophie's father Christopher Rhys-Jones, were said to be "delighted" at the news.

In a statement Buckingham Palace said the Countess of Wessex is expected to remain in hospital for the next few days.

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