May 10, 1907
Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain has given birth to a son, thus, assuring the line of succession. The news of the birth has sent a "thrill throughout the country, and to-night the happy event is being celebrated from end of the land to the other," reports the New York Times.
The Queen and her infant son are said to be "doing well." The baby Prince weighs 8 3/4 pounds.
The "hurried departure of royal messengers" from the palace at 10 a.m., this morning to "summon the courtiers and the Members of the Diplomatic Corps" offered the first indication that the Queen was in labor.
Crowds gathered outside the Palace and waited in "hush silence" until nearly 1 p.m., when the first cannon was fired, signifying that the "royal accouchement was over."
The crowd waited and counted the thundering of the cannon, and there was silence as the count hit fifteen. And then sixteen .. a son had been born to the Queen. The cannon continued its shots, ending at twenty-one. There was great rejoicing, and a "ringing cheer," as people danced in the streets, and embraced each other. "Long live the King! Long Live the Queen!"
Spanish and British flags were flown through out the city, The new father, King Alfonso telegraphed the Pope, King Edward (the Queen's uncle) and other heads of state with the good news.
The "accouchement was in every respect normal," and Queen Victoria Eugenia is making "satisfactory progress toward recovery."
The Queen will "nourish the infant Prince" herself. He shows sighs of the "utmost vitality," and is said to have a "strong voice, blue eyes, and a fair complexion, like his mother."
Victoria Eugenia was the first to kiss her son, and she was followed by the two grandmothers, Princess Beatrice, and the Dowager Queen Maria Cristina of Spain.
The baby was not due for another two weeks, and his arrival caught everyone off guard as the Queen had gone out for her "customary drive" yesterday afternoon.
The King has decreed that there will be a three day national holiday in Spain in honor of the birth of his son and heir.
King Alfonso XIII and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg were married on May 31, 1906.
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