New arrival sees Queen become a great-gran

The Queen yesterday said she was "delighted" after becoming a great-grandmother for the first time.

Buckingham Palace announced yesterday afternoon that the wife of Peter Phillips, the Queen's grandson, had given birth to a baby girl on Wednesday.

The child, whose name is yet to be confirmed, weighed in at 8lbs and 8oz and is 12th in line to the British throne.

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The infant and her mother Autumn, who married Mr Phillips in May 2008, are both said to be well after the birth at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Mr Phillips, who was educated in Moray and earned schoolboy honours for Scotland at rugby, was present at the birth.

The baby is the first child for Mr and Mrs Phillips, the first grandchild for the Princess Royal and the first great-grandchild for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

A statement from Buckingham Palace read: "The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Autumn's family have been informed and are delighted with the news."

Mr Phillips, the Queen's eldest grandson, married his Canadian-born wife at a lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in May 2008.

The son of the Princess Royal met his wife in 2003 at the Montreal Grand Prix, where he was working for the Williams Formula One racing team.

Initially, he did not tell her that he was the Queen's grandson and she only found out when she spotted him in a programme about Prince William.

Mrs Phillips is a former Roman Catholic, but was accepted into the Church of England shortly before the wedding.

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Had she not changed churches, Mr Phillips would have had to give up his right to become king. The couple faced controversy two years ago after being paid a reported 500,000 by a glossy magazine for photographs of their wedding.

Mr Phillips was educated at Gordonstoun School and played rugby for the Scottish Schools team.

He has worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland since 2005, initially at their offices in Edinburgh and currently in Hong Kong, where he helps to manage the bank's corporate sponsorship projects in Asia.

The Queen and the Duke have welcomed the births of eight grandchildren since their first, Peter, was born in June 1977.

Each of their four children have two of their own, the most recent being the son of Edward and the Countess of Wessex, Viscount Severn, who was born in December 2007.

The birth of Peter and Autumn's daughter could well be the first of a number of great-grandchildren for the Queen and Duke, following the recent engagements of Prince William to Kate Middleton, and Zara Phillips to Mike Tindall.

Yesterday's royal birth has had an impact on the line of succession to the throne, with the new baby moving ahead of her aunt Zara Phillips into 12th position.