Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are “overjoyed” at the arrival of his first grandchild as he went ahead with a scheduled visit to York.

He did not want the impending birth of his first grandchild to interfere with his royal duties, but he couldn’t hide his delight after the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a baby boy.

Prince Charles said: “Both my wife and I are overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild. 

“It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy.  

“Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone’s life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future.”

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are “overjoyed” at the arrival of his first grandchild as he went ahead with a scheduled visit to York

Later in the evening as Prince Charles left a function at Harewood House, near Leeds, was asked if there was any news from the hospital.

He laughed as he replied: “No. You’ll hear before I do, I suspect.”

His comments come as the Queen returned to London after spending the night at Windsor Castle, travelling by car to Buckingham Palace.

But while the Queen decided to return to London, Prince Charles remained more than 200 miles away in the North of England, showing that not even the most exciting family drama can stop him carrying out his Royal duties.

He arrived at the National Railway Museum in York by steam train as he began a two-day visit to Yorkshire.

Prince Charles stepped off the Royal Carriage through clouds of steam, to applause and cheers from the crowd.

The carriage was pulled into the museum by Bittern, the sister engine of Mallard, which marked 75 years as the world’s fastest steam train earlier this month.

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