**Countess Sophie and baby girl 'stable'**

London Times Online.com ^ | 11/9/03 | unknown

[MVV]

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, has undergone an emergency Caesarian operation to deliver a baby girl and both are "stable" in hospital, Buckingham Palace said. The baby, who is eighth in line to the throne and the Queen's seventh grandchild, weighed 4lb 9oz and was several weeks premature. The Countess, 38, was admitted to Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, from her home in Bagshot on Saturday night but the baby has now been transferred to the neo-natal unit of St George's Hospital, Tooting, south London, as a precaution.

[MVV]

FYI.

[MVV]

Prayers please for this little preemie.

[MVV]

Baby Wessex likely to do 'very well'

The Countess of Wessex's baby is "slightly smaller than average" but should go on to do very well, according to pregnancy experts. At 4lb 9oz and born several weeks earlier than expected, the baby girl is classed as a "low birthweight" and "moderately premature" baby. But Dr Maggie Blott, a consultant obstetrician, said if there were no other complications there was no reason for undue concern about the child.

[jimtorr]

My nephews baby was born nearly 3 months premature. After 2 months in a good preemie intensive care unit, he stabilised. Ten months later, he is nearly normal for a baby of 7 months.

[Iowa Granny]

And "WHO" is the Contesss' husband?

[MoJo2001]

I think it's Prince Edward. The youngest!

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

"And "WHO" is the Contesss' husband?"

Why, Prince Edward of course.

[MVV]

Prince Edward of the UK, Queen Elizabeth's youngest child.

[not-an-ostrich]

Question. Seventh grandchild and eighth in line for throne. Prince Charles is 1st in line so does that mean children of Anne, Andrew, and Edward are in line for the throne and their parents aren't?

[ccmay]

Prince Charles is 1st in line so does that mean children of Anne, Andrew, and Edward are in line for the throne and their parents aren't?

No, it means Princess Anne and her children take a back seat to the male heirs.

The order goes like this:

1. Charles
2. William
3. Harry
4. Andrew
5. Andrew's elder daughter
6. Andrew's younger daughter
7. Edward
8. this baby, Edward's first
9. Anne
10. 11. 12. . etc. . . . Anne's kids (the other royal grandchildren) and then the shirt-tail relatives like Princess Margaret's kids and Prince Michael of Kent.

-ccm

[not-an-ostrich]

Thank you!!

[Mercat]

Not that I care a great deal but wouldn't Edward come before Andrew's two daughter?

[WackyKat]

The Windsors are inbred morons

[ccmay]

Not that I care a great deal but wouldn't Edward come before Andrew's two daughter?

Yes, you are probably right.

I don't care very much either! If there are people who want to run around in funny costumes and give themselves grand titles that's fine, but they shouldn't get a nickel from the British tax payer for doing so.

-ccm

[Maria S]

"My nephews baby was born nearly 3 months premature. After 2 months in a good preemie intensive care unit, he stabilised. Ten months later, he is nearly normal for a baby of 7 months."

And what a lucky little lad he is, too! Just think...there are actually people who think late-term abortions (maybe 3 months early?) are perfectly acceptable.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Not that I care a great deal but wouldn't Edward come before Andrew's two daughter?

No. Just as Charles two sons come before Andrew so do Andrew's daughters come before Edward.

That was the way Victoria came to be queen. It wasn't that there were no more Uncles, but because her father the Duke of Kent was been the heir to both the thrones of England and Hanover before his death which came after the death of his father, George III.

Her Uncle Augustus became king of Hanover because she, as a female, was not allowed to take that throne as well as the throne of England.

But if Andrew should have a son then that boy would come before the two girls.

[ccmay]

Actually, I was right the first time. But Prince Michael is out because he married a Roman Catholic. Here's the list. And here's an even bigger list, with more than 1200 names. Never knew it was so important to some people!

Most of them are people I have never heard of. A fair number of them are apparently untitled commoners, though no doubt they get a lot of social mileage out of people knowing they are the Nth in line to the throne.

-ccm

[MVV]

That is a good question. Perhaps Princess Anne's children are not in the line of succession.

Prince William is 2nd in line behind Prince Charles. Prince Harry is 3rd in line, I believe Prince Andrew would be 4th in line, skipping Princess Anne and her children.

The Princesses Beatice & Eugenie are 5th and 6th, Prince Edward is 7th in line and then his new baby would be 8th, geez I think I figured this out. Please Freepers correct me if I am wrong.

[MVV]

No, Prince Andrew is older than Prince Edward and Prince Andrew's daughters would take precedent over Prince Edward and his heirs.

[ladylib]

Thank you for clearing that up, because it was driving me crazy all day after I heard about the birth.