Birth of Lady Louise 8 Nov 2003, and Christening

[Alexandria]

http://news.bbc.co.uk

Sophie has baby girl early

The Countess of Wessex has given birth to a girl a month early, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The baby, who weighs 4lb 9oz, was delivered by emergency Caesarean section at 2332 GMT on Saturday.

The countess, 38, was admitted to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey from her home at Bagshot Park on Saturday night.

Both mother and baby are stable but the baby has been transferred to a neo-natal unit at St George's Hospital in Tooting, London, as a precaution.

Sophie will remain in hospital "for the foreseeable future", the palace said.

The pregnancy had been progressing well and royal gynaecologist Marcus Setchell had expected to deliver the child early in December.

Earl returns

Mr Setchell was present at the hospital for the emergency operation, which was carried out by surgeon Sukhpal Singh with gynaecologist Anne Deans and midwife Adrienne Price.

The Earl of Wessex is on an official visit to Mauritius, but was flying home immediately.

The Queen is being kept informed of events.

Sophie had been due to travel to London for Sunday's Remembrance Day service and parade at the Cenotaph with other members of the Royal Family.

The child, the first for the Queen's youngest son and his wife, is the Queen's seventh grandchild and eighth in line to the throne.

The birth follows a traumatic failed pregnancy in December 2001 when Sophie was airlifted to hospital after suffering an ectopic pregnancy.

Official engagements

Surgeons operated to remove the foetus from her fallopian tube after she was rushed to King Edward VII Hospital by air ambulance.

Doctors said that if the condition had continued undiagnosed, it could have been life-threatening.

The countess initially suspended official engagements in the early stages of her pregnancy, on doctors' advice, but had resumed duties by June.

Three days ago she opened new offices for the ChildLine charity in London.

When Edward and Sophie married in 1999, it was decided, with the Queen's agreement, that any children they had would not be called His or Her Royal Highness.

Instead, the couple's baby girl will take the title of Lady.