Pippa Middleton has become a mother for the first time after giving birth to a baby boy weighing 8lb and 9oz.

The 35-year-old was seen entering the private maternity ward yesterday at 10.30am ahead of her husband James Matthews and she gave birth just over three hours later, at 1.58pm.

Her baby was delivered at the £7,500-a-night Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, the same private maternity unit where her older sister, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to her three children.

The little boy is the cousin of future King Prince George, five, his brother Prince Louis, five months, and their sister Princess Charlotte, three. This afternoon William and Kate said they were 'thrilled' for the new parents.

Mr Matthews was seen running up the steps into the hospital shortly after 10am this morning, carrying a duffle bag and seemingly in the same clothes he wore on Monday.

The couple went to the hospital just hours after Prince Harry - her sister Kate's brother-in-law - announced he and wife Meghan Markle are set to have their first baby next Spring.

Pippa, who was wearing a long blue coat, white shoes and sunglasses, was seen smiling as she entered the Lindo Wing on Monday, a little more than 48 hours after she attended Princess Eugenie's royal wedding in Windsor last Friday.

A spokeswoman for Pippa Middleton and her husband said: 'James and Pippa have had a baby boy.

'He was born Monday 15th October at 1.58pm, weighing 8lb and 9oz. Everyone is delighted and mother and baby are doing well.'

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Kensington Palace said this afternoon that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 'are thrilled for Pippa and James.

Pippa Middleton with her husband James Matthews, left, and brother James at Princess Eugenie's wedding.

Mr Matthews was carrying a £78 Cam Cam Copenhagen baby changing bag and a £37 Nobodinoz Loz Angeles weekend bag, both said to have been bought from luxury retailer Scandiborn - when the pair went into the hospital on Monday.

Kate suffered from severe morning sickness when she was expecting her children, but Pippa has boasted that she was enjoying a Zen-like pregnancy - using meditation to cope with the last few weeks before she gives birth.

The socialite attended the royal wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle last Friday, sitting in the front row of the nave at St George's Chapel with her husband plus her brother James Middleton.

Pippa was wearing a bespoke Emilia Wickstead dress and had to hold onto her hat in high winds as she arrived for the ceremony, which came five months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex got married at the same chapel.

Pippa, her husband and her brother were in the very first seats just inside the West Door for the wedding which featured a host of A-list stars including Robbie Williams, Demi Moore and Naomi Campbell.

Pippa - who lives with her husband in a £17million mansion in Chelsea, West London, following their wedding in May last year - was also spotted visiting the Lindo Wing a fortnight ago on October 2.

The highly-respected hospital is known for providing a premium service for its clients. Patients are each given a private room with their own en suite bathroom, as well as satellite TV offering 'major international channels'.

Gourmet food is also available via the wing's extensive menus, while new parents are also offered a wine list to celebrate their new arrival. A standard room at the wing costs £5,900, while a deluxe room starts at £6,275.

The price for a stay in one of the unit's suites - where Kate is believed to have given birth - is available on request, but is thought to be closer to £7,500.

Pippa appears to have taken her pregnancy in her stride, keeping up her fitness regime throughout.

Writing in her Waitrose Weekend column, Pippa explained: 'As the final month nears and the bump grows prouder each day, movement is certainly getting more awkward.

'As a result, one of the biggest changes is that my lower body has tightened up. The knock-on effect is making my back and sacrum both uncomfortable and achy. The transformations to my body that are taking place as it prepares for childbirth have meant that the sound sleeps and the baby bubble effect have gone. Reality is finally kicking in.

'Perhaps this is the body's way of making sure that you get in tune with what lies ahead.'

Pippa also said she had signed up to a beginners' meditation class, which would involve learning how to meditate twice daily for 20 minutes while chanting a mantra.

She previously revealed how she had been turning to barre-style workouts and swimming during pregnancy.

It comes as Kensington Palace announced yesterday morning that an overjoyed Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting a baby. The couple shared the news with the Queen and Royal Family at Eugenie's wedding.

Meghan, who wed Harry just five months ago, has had her 12 week scan and is believed to be due in late April.

Earlier today Meghan wore a figure-hugging dress showing her baby bump today and said she and Harry can't wait to be parents, declaring: 'We're ready! We're excited to join the club'.

The royal couple have taken Australia by storm as they started their historic first international tour together also taking in New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga over the next 16 days.

Meghan and Harry have sparked a whirlwind by announcing they are having their first child just hours after touching down in Sydney.

They had told the Queen and the rest of the royal family their happy news at Princess Eugenie's Windsor Castle wedding on Friday before boarding a commercial flight to Australia via Singapore over the weekend.

The Duke and Duchess have been greeted by huge crowds desperate to see them and congratulate them about their baby, who will be seventh in line to the throne and is due in late April next year.

Today - the first full day of their tour - culminated in a Sydney reception at the grand Admiralty House overlooking the city's opera house where Meghan said she and her husband are 'excited' about becoming parents.

Meghan, who wore butterfly earrings and a gold bracelet belonging to Princess Diana in a touching tribute to Harry's mother, spoke to Australian TV personality Eddie Woo, 33, and conversation turned towards parenthood.

When he said that his own children - aged five, seven and 10 - require 'a lot of energy', she replied: 'We're ready! We're excited to join the club'.

Harry then told guests: 'Thank you for the incredibly warm welcome and the chance to meet so many Aussies from all walks of life. And we also genuinely couldn't think of a better place to announce the upcoming baby, be it a boy or a girl.'

The Lindo Wing is part of St Mary's Hospital, which was first founded in 1845, making it 173 years old.

It is an NHS hospital with a private wing, which was named after hospital board member Frank Charles Lindo after he donated £111,500.

A host of celebrities and royals have given birth at the unit, including Amal Clooney, who gave birth to twins last year.

St Mary's Hospital also has a special care section, The Winnicott Baby Unit.

It can look after up to 18 babies at a time in intensive care, high dependency or special care.

Around 350 premature or sick newborn babies are cared for each year by the multidisciplinary team .

The Lindo Wing was re-opened in June 2012 after extensive refurbishment.

Prince William was born at 9.03pm on June 21, 1982, weighing 7lb 1.5oz in the same wing.

He made his public debut with his parents outside the hospital, wrapped in a white blanket carried in the arms of his mother Diana, with the Prince of Wales at their side.

Compared: Middleton and royal baby weights

Kate Middleton and Prince William:

Prince Louis: 8lbs 7oz (2018)

Princess Charlotte: 8lbs 3oz (2015)

Prince George: 8lb 6oz (2013)

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews:

Unnamed boy: 8lb 9oz (2018)

Prince Charles and Princess Diana:

William: 7lb 1.5oz (1982)

Harry: 6lb 14oz (1984)

Inside the £7,500-a-night Lindo Wing with the world's best doctors on tap and Champagne on the wine list

With its gourmet menu, luxury toiletries and personalised care, The Lindo Wing offers a quality of service worthy of a five-star hotel.

So it is of little surprise Pippa Middleton followed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in selecting the exclusive maternity ward at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, central London, for the birth of her first child.

With such high-profile patients and prices starting at £5,900 for a one-night stay - rising to £6,275 for a deluxe package and even higher for the ward's suites - very few will ever experience the luxury of the Lindo.

The latest price list, from July 2017 to March 2018, states that a standard room package, including a one-night stay, costs from £5,900, while a deluxe package is £6,275.

Services available include:

• Patients are each given a private room with their own en suite bathroom. Deluxe rooms or suites are available for patients who require extra space. 
• The rooms offer satellite TV with major international channels, a radio, bedside phone and fridge.
• Free WiFi is available throughout and the hospital provides a choice of daily newspapers. 
• Extensive menus cater for special dietary, cultural and religious requirements. Wine list is available with Champagne on offer.
• Range of optional extras are available, including the afternoon tea service.
• In-room services for new parents including massages.
• The wing's facilities include a secure, supervised nursery, so parents can enjoy much-needed rest
• Exceptional levels of discretion and care, perfect for high-profile parents.