THE royal baby means THREE direct-descendant heirs are alive during a monarch s reign — for the first time since 1894.
The newborn boy will be third in line after grandfather Prince Charles and dad Prince William.
And if he lives to the Queen s current age of 87 he could well be on the throne in 2100 — as Britain s first monarch of the 22nd century.
The last time the monarch met her great-grandson was when Queen Victoria was alive at the same time as her son Edward, her grandson George and his son Edward.They went on to become Edward VII, George V and Edward VIII.
Royal grandmother ... Queen Victoria holds grandson Edward VIII
Baby Cambridge s place in the line of succession was assured irrespective of gender because of changes to royal rules.
The Succession to the Crown Act, given royal assent on April 25, means first-born daughters will no longer be snubbed in favour of younger sons.
But the new statute cannot come into force until it is adopted by all 15 of the other Commonwealth states. That could take between six months and a year.
However, the legislation will not yet be needed because the new arrival is male and will be Wills and Kate s eldest child.
They face pressure to follow tradition and give him four first names, like every royal baby since Edward VII. Aides said he was unlikely to be named straight away.
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