0 new day crew here. kate bolduan with our special "will & kate plus one." have a good night. enjoy kate's special. it's really good. the following is a cnn special report. in london big news in a little package. an heir to the throne it born. >> her royal highness, the duchess of cambridge, was safely delivered of a son, 4:24 p.m. local time. >> i was thrilled. i can't believe that we finally after all this waiting know that we have a boy. >> the first child of william, himself born a prince. >> may we see your son, your royal highness? >> and kate, the shy commoner from the countryside. >> she's not catherine, she's kate. >> now the next chapter of this royal story, from william and kate's upbringing to their rocky courtship and royal wedding. >> it was the william & kate show. >> now raising an heir, modernizing a monarchy and learning to be "will and kate plus one." it was the moment the world had been waiting for, the most talked about courtship of the century. after a decade-long romance, kid middleton and prince william finally tie the knot in a fairy tale wedding. thousands watched outside the church. middleton family friend john haley was sitting in the front row. >> i was four foot away from everybody, from the queen, prince charles, all the royal family. it was amazing. >> kind of a pinch yourself moment? >> it was. i was standing there, and i couldn't believe it. you knew they were coming because the roar just came through the abbey. you could hear it from outside. and then when kate and her dad come in, wow, that just sent tingles all through your body. >> it felt like a wonderful country wedding. >> lady elizabeth anson was sitting just behind her cousin. queen elizabeth. it was a new era for the british monarchy and a new way of doing things, with william and kate breaking tradition almost every step of the way. >> they did everything themselves, whatever canopy they wanted, whatever flower they wanted, all of that was personally chosen by them. i think that's the first time that happened in the royal family. >> westminster abbey is where it all officially began for the duke and duchess of cambridge. billions watched as william and kate married here in 2011. almost immediately after the couple said "i do", the speculation began, when will the next royal baby arrive? >> the one job kate had to do immediately after the wedding was get pregnant. >> author katie nichol had been writing about the royal family. for the last decade. >> she had to secure the line of succession. we were always going to be on bump watch. >> but in their true style, they did it their way, waiting and enjoying being newlyweds before starting a family. >> it is a breach of royal tradition. >> diana and queen, they were both pregnant within three to six months of being married. >> even their honeymoon was different. >> what royal newlyweds usually do is go off to balmoral, which is the queen's residence. they decided they'd not go to scotland, they'd go to the islands instead. >> it shows how thoughtful they are, that they do things in their way. you can see their voice and opinion in pretty much all their life choices. >> i think this is a very modern royal couple. >> and a royal couple desperate to be normal. william and kate would delay taking on roles as full-time royals and spend the first years of their life in a remote farm house. they live near this beach, right? >> they're a few miles behind us. >> ewan hughes is the head of tourism in anglesy. >> their house is not spectacular like people would expect. they're not living in a castle or mansion. >> remote, incredibly beautiful, secluded, and that gives them privacy and that's most important. >> it really couldn't be further from the life that they will be facing and living when they're back in london. >> yes. >> i mean, the pressures, the job and the paparazzi. >> that's why it is a utopia for them. >> kate and william are often seen around town enjoying a pint, browsing the shops or even picking up groceries. in fact, locals call the duchess a pretty savvy shopper, known to make meat pies and homemade gravy for william. >> immediately after their wedding day, what did we see? we saw kate pushing a shopping trolley around the car park at her local supermarket. it doesn't get more ordinary than that. that's their stamp. that's their imprint. >> even on the world stage the couple would at times appear very unroyal, like at this dragon boat race in canada during their first official overseas visit. >> you could see the look of excitement on her face as she got into the boat and was ready to helm. and also the look of frustration that william had beaten her. >> she truly did look frustrated because she didn't finish. >> this is a couple that can't finish a game of tennis because they're so competitive. and then they hug which was significant because you don't see royals cuddling, showing affection. these two are not afraid of showing the world we're really happy together. >> after their first year of marriage while william served as a search and rescue pilot for the air force, kate slowly stepped out on her own, choosing charities to support. graham buttland is the organization's executive director. >> on that first visit, her approach was just so natural. it's as if she was blind to the disability but could see the child and that of course takes some skill. >> the spotlight was absolutely fixed on her, every engagement she carried out. the world was watching. >> her true test would be her first official speech, one she gave for the charity. >> i feel hugely honored to be here to see this wonderful center. >> there were six, seven satellite vans in our car park. it was going around the world. >> i'm only sorry that william can't be here today. >> i think she did a very good job. it really can't be easy to do that with that much pressure on you. >> bye-bye, thank you. >> but there was perhaps no greater pressure on kate those first years than to produce an heir. >> i think there was a level of surprise that it had taken quite some time. >> and it took no time for bump watch to kick in to high gear. >> every time she wore a dress that was a little flowy, every time she put her clutch in front of her waist, i mean, the examples upon examples of all of the speculation. she wouldn't eat peanut paste so she was pregnant. >> i was there in copenhagen and there was a discussion amongst reporters there, well, why isn't she eating peanut paste? and it was just relentless. >> when kate did get pregnant, she couldn't hide it. >> the duchess was admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness. the palace had no choice but to announce the pregnancy, though she wasn't even 12 weeks pregnant at the time. >> i think it took everyone by surprise. it wasn't just the announcement, it was the announcement that she was seriously sick. >> that's right, a pregnancy in jeopardy. >> it affected kate particularly badly. >> but first, growing up for prince william. a childhood marked by tragedy and scandal. ♪ ♪ business. century link provides reliable it services like multi-layered security solution to keep your information safe & secure. century link. your link with what's next.