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The New Royal Baby Is the Biggest in 100 Years: What All Your Favorite Members of the Royal Family Weighed at Birth
Zara Tindall, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, just gave birth to her second child. The new royal baby — a girl! — made a splash not only because she's the newest member of the British royal family, but also because she breaks an interesting record. It turns out that the newest member of the Tindall family is also the heaviest royal baby to be born in more than 100 years, at 9 pounds, 3 ounces.
The record was previously held by Savannah Phillips — the daughter of Zara's brother, Peter Phillips — who weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces when she was born in 2010. And the new baby is also heavier than her older sister, Mia, who weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces when she was born in 2014. And the average weight of a baby in the U.K., in case you were wondering, is 7 pounds, 7 ounces, according to The Mirror.
But that got us thinking: If the newest royal baby is the biggest in more than a century, what did other members of the royal family weigh when they were born? We have all the answers, ahead.
Prince Louis | John Stillwell/AFP/Getty Images
Birth weight: 8 pounds, 7 ounces
Express reports that Prince Louis of Cambridge became the heaviest heir to the throne in more than a century when he was born on April 23, at a weight of 8 pounds, 7 ounces. As with her older children, Kate gave birth to Louis in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London. Louis's older siblings visited him in the hospital, Town & Country reports. And then the newborn went home to Kensington Palace just a few hours after he was born.
All three of Kate Middleton's children have weighed more than 8 pounds, but less than 9 pounds, at her birth on May 2, 2015. Princess Charlotte weighed at 8 pounds, 3 ounces when she was born. Town & Country reports that "Everything went extremely well" for Kate and Charlotte during young royal's birth. The Duchess gave birth after 2.5 hours of labor without an epidural. And Kate and William celebrated Charlotte's arrival with a champagne toast.
The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Leave The Lindo Wing With Their Newborn Son | Scott Heavey/Getty Images
Prince Charlotte weighed a little bit less than Prince George, the first child of Prince William and Kate Middleton. George weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces when he was born on July 22, 2013. For the birth of her first child, Kate had a team of 20 medical professionals dedicated to her care — and sworn to secrecy. The group included two obstetricians, three midwives, three anesthetists, four surgical staff, two special care baby-unit staff, four pediatricians, one lab technician, and three to four managers. She was in labor for 12 hours and opted for no pain medication.
Birth weight: 7 pounds, 1.5 ounces
Next on the list? Prince William, who weighed 7 pounds, 1.5 ounces when he was born to Diana, Princess of Wales, on June 21, 1982. Ever since William's birth, he's been second in line to the British throne, behind his father. Unfortunately, Diana's pregnancy with William wasn't a happy time in her life, and she reportedly even threw herself down the stairs to try to get the attention of her husband, Prince Charles. She decided to have labor induced because of the "press pressure," according to Town & Country. She delivered in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital, breaking with the royal tradition of births at Buckingham Palace.
Birth weight: 6 pounds, 15 ounces
Prince William's younger brother, Prince Harry, weighed less than his big brother. Harry weighed in at just 6 pounds, 14 ounces at his birth on June 15, 1984. He arrived a week early. And Diana gave birth to Harry after nine hours of labor and no drugs. And then she had to reveal to Charles something she had kept secret for the entire pregnancy: the fact that they were having a second son. Diana reportedly said, "Charles always wanted a girl. Harry was a boy. His first comment was, 'Oh God, it's a boy.' His second: 'And he's even got red hair.'"
Baby Prince Charles Central | Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
If you want to go back another generation, Prince Charles — father of Prince William and Prince Harry — also didn't set any records for his weight at birth. Charles weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces at his birth on November 14, 1948. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace, when Princess Elizabeth was just 22 years old. She was reportedly in labor for 30 hours before doctors performed a Caesarean section. Her husband, Prince Philip, wasn't present — and instead was playing squash. But when he got word that she'd delivered the royal baby, he ran to the delivery room and gave her a bouquet of red roses and carnations.
Birth weight: Unknown
Curious what the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, weighed at her birth? So are we. But the royal family has actually never released that information. As Express reports, Princess Elizabeth was born by Caesarean section at her maternal grandparents' London home — at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair — on April 21, 1926. "Her weight was not announced, as was previously the custom for royal babies," the publication explains.
Read more: This Is the 1 Thing That Won't Change for Princess Charlotte Now That Prince Louis Is Born