Published: December 17, 2007 02:24 pm      

Prince Edward’s wife, Sophie, gives birth to baby boy — 8th grandchild for the queen

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s royal family welcomed the birth of its newest member Monday, a son born to Prince Edward and his 42-year-old wife, Sophie, Buckingham Palace said.

Edward — the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II — and Sophie, who are the Earl and Countess of Wessex, were “absolutely thrilled,” the palace said in a statement. The baby is the eighth grandchild of the monarch and her husband, Prince Philip.

The infant weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was delivered by Caesarean section Monday at Frimley Park Hospital outside London.

The couple’s daughter, Lady Louise, was born in November 2003.

When Edward and Sophie married in 1999, it was announced that their children would not bear the title of Royal Highness.