Many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess

THE birth of a baby is always wonderful news and so this newspaper sends the heartiest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the happy occasion of the birth of their third child, a son.

And we could certainly do with some good news. For the past two years the country has been bitterly divided by the result of the EU referendum campaign, buffeted by changes of government and a general election, depressed by the war in Syria and its worldwide ramifications and generally pretty down in the dumps. We have had enough of war and politics. None of the above problems will go away but today at least we have something else to think about.

We are not all ardent royalists and few of us are so enthusiastic about the Royal Family that we would camp out for days outside the Lindo Wing where Kate gave birth. (Though it has been camping weather). But even the most staunch republican cannot gainsay the joy that attends the arrival of a baby.

A baby means hope, a new beginning and continuity. We greet a new baby in our own family with this optimism. And a royal baby points to a continuity in our country’s long and colourful history. It is both a symbolic event and a very intimate one.

The baby boy is also a third child, the new arrival in an established and happy family. He will receive plenty of instruction from his brother and sister which should keep him grounded. Meanwhile he also has a place in the nation’s heart. A little Prince.