Kate Middleton and Prince William Welcome Royal Baby ... It's a Boy!

It's a prince! On Monday, the world welcomed the newest addition to the royal family and thefuture heir to England's throne. Palace officials confirmed the arrival of His Royal Highness the Prince of Cambridge, born at St. Mary's Hospital at 4:24 p.m. BST, and weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz..

"We could not be happier," said Prince William in a statement released by the palace shortly after the birth of his son. He was at his wife's side during her delivery, unlike past royals. Both mother and child are doing fine, the palace confirmed.

"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight," palace officials stated in a press release. The name of the future monarch will be released "in due course." 

The newborn is officially called the Prince of Cambridge. He is the first royal to use that title in 100 years.

"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news," according to the brief statement emailed to members of the press, many of whom have been camped outside of St. Mary's Hospital for days.

Prince Charles elaborated in a statement released through Clarence House. He said he is "enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time."

"Both my wife and I are overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild," he added. "It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy."

Even President Barack Obama weighed in on the birth. "Michelle and I are so pleased to congratulate The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the joyous occasion of the birth of their first child," he said in a statement released through the White House. "We wish them all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings. The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations. Given the special relationship between us, the American people are pleased to join with the people of the United Kingdom as they celebrate the birth of the young prince."

The birth marks a new era for not only the first-time parents but also the extended royal family. As third in line to succeed to the throne after his grandfather Prince Charles and his father, Prince William, he's the first baby born under new succession laws.

The modernized bill amends a centuries-old policy, allowing the royal couple's first-born child the right to inherit the throne regardless of gender.

"Historically, this is huge," Victoria Arbiter, CNN's royal expert, told Yahoo! Shine. "In 60 or 70 years, this baby will be a monarch. It's also the first time since Queen Victoria that four generations of monarchs will be alive together."

It's been a long and sometimes rocky journey to the historic due date. Anticipation about the heir to the throne began well before the frenzy over rumored due dates and even before St. James's Palace officially announced the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy in December. From the first day of their marriage over two years ago, Prince William and Kate Middleton have had an audience of clock-watchers.

But they have never let public expectations determine their personal timing. After their 10-year courtship, the couple put off parenthood to enjoy their first year as a married couple. In that time,Middleton flexed her philanthropic muscles and stepped into her late mother-in-law's shoes as an international fashion arbiter. She also weathered a paparazzi scandal, prompting the palace to tighten its reins on the press.

When it came to the big announcement about the couple's first child, there was only so much theroyal family could control. (To quote the duchess herself, "Babies have their own agenda.") Before the official news broke, Middleton suffered acute morning sickness early in her first trimester. During her treatment at a central London hospital, pregnancy rumors reached a boiling point and the palace was forced to confirm what the public had long hoped.

"As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter," read the official statement from St. James's Palace.

The news rippled immediately through the retail industry. Collectibles marking the anticipated firstborn's arrival began rolling out by early 2013, as maternity designers elbowed each other for the chance to dress the mom-to-be. All told, the Centre for Retail Research predicts the royal birth could boost the British economy by nearly $400 million. 

Tragedy overshadowed the worldwide excitement when two Australian radio hosts prankedMiddleton's hospital and the nurse who took the hoax call later committed suicide.

It was a sobering reminder of the impact of royal coverage on human lives. For the future monarch, it's an unfortunate part of the inheritance and of an unfathomable burden of power.

Perhaps no one better understands this than the new dad, Prince William.

"Royal firstborns may get all the glory, but secondborns enjoy more freedom," Diana, Princess of Wales, said after giving birth to her second son, Harry. "My second child will never have quite the same sort of pressure that poor William must face all his life."

That firstborn pressure includes carrying the HRH title and the legacy that goes with it. In the distant future, the newborn is poised to be the supreme governor of the Church of England, head of the U.K. armed forces, and the head of state in 16 countries.

"One day, this baby will be an influence across the globe, a leader, and someone millions of people will look up to," said Arbiter. For now, however, he has two main responsibilities: eating and sleeping, just like any other baby.

Miley Cyrus' Parents call off divorce after therapy.

The divorce is off -- again! For a second time, Miley Cyrus' parents Billy Ray Cyrus andTish Cyrus have called off their plans to get divorced.

"We both woke up and realized we love each other and decided we want to stay together. We both went into couples therapy something we haven't done in 22 years of being together, and its brought us closer together and really opened up our communication in amazing ways," Billy Ray's rep said in a statement to Us Weekly. "Tishalso said marriage can be really hard especially after 22 years of being in entertainment. We've had rough times but we both realized we didn't want to be another statistic and wanted to make it work."

Tish, 53, filed for divorce on June 13 after 19 years of marriage. Billy Ray, 51, first filed for divorce from Tish in October 2010, but he dropped the filing in March 2011. "I want to put my family back together -- Things are the best they've ever been," he explained on an episode of The View at the time.

The "Achy Breaky Heart" singer and Tish have three children together -- Miley, 20, Braison, 19 and Noah 13. Billy Ray also adopted Brandi, 26, and Trace, 24, Tish's children from a previous relationship. The country singer also has son Christopher, 21, from a previous relationship.

Miley Cyrus Chanel Spending Spree Damage

Does Miley Cyrus need to check herself into shopaholics anonymous?

The "We Can't Stop" singer couldn't stop from splurging big time on nearly a dozen purchases from Chanel while shopping on London's Bond Street.

The 20-year-old pop star, who is currently on a promotional tour in the UK, dished to BBC Radio 1 on July 19 that she was already planning to partake in some major retail therapy during her London visit.

"I'm here for four days, then have two days off. I'm going to lay in bed, catch up, and do some shopping. I'm going to take my friends to the London Eye," she shared. "I'm going to take them inside some stores, like the Chanel in London and Topshop. It is different, the Topshop in London to the one in the US."

But who knew the former Disney queen would practically buy out the entire Chanel store? The pop star posted a snap of her loot, which included six large bags and five small bags, on Twitter with the caption, "The damage is done."

Miley, who has been a longtime fan of the brand and regularly steps out in the famous fashion house's dresses and jumpsuits, posted another snap from inside the chic store where she got cozy on a black leather couch with a pal and gushed about her Chanel play day. "Dolls in Londawwwn. @Chanel, thank you for taking such good care of us :) best part of my trip by far."

While Miss Miley likely spent a hefty sum on the high-end purchases, she probably didn't break the bank. The twerking teen is worth an estimated $120 million, after all.

Sometimes a girl has just gotta shop, right?

Low-rent scandal hits all levels of rhythmic gymnastic judging

There are sophisticated cheating scandals, and then there's the one currently consuming the world of rhythmic gymnastics.

The New York Times is reporting on a scandal that's consuming more than 60 individuals all across the judging ranks of rhythmic gymnastics, including both hopefuls seeking to become judges and proctors administering their tests. There is, however, no indication that the cheating in any way affected actual competition; this involved people hoping to become judges for events such as the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The International Gymnastics Foundation, or FIG, compiled accounts of the cheating, which the Times then obtained. Check this report from the Times, and see if this sounds like a far-reaching international conspiracy or a bunch of nimrods in high school:

The documents showed that in Bucharest, Romania, test takers clearly copied answers from one anothers’ papers, including the mistakes. In Moscow, 114 answers were changed on dozens of tests; in Alicante, Spain, 257 answers were changed.

The exam sheets themselves served as evidence of the suspected cheating — crude markups, blatant copying, unexplained bonus points — that proved as clumsy as a botched rhythmic routine.

One test clearly had been touched by more than one person — it was filled with at least two different handwriting styles, the report said. The documents provided no evidence that the suspected cheating had affected any results in athletic competitions.

Rhythmic gymnastics, while admittedly athletic, has more in common with dance than most other Olympic events. (Best not to let fans of wrestling, which has been removed from the Olympic slate, even know that it exists.) As such, judging is of paramount importance.

But this is just a few bad apples, right? A few folks trying to get an edge on the competition? Happens everywhere, right? The sport as a whole is healthy ... right?

"This sport is very ill," said Erik Moers, a judge of long standing who has not been connected to the cheating. "It’s poisoned from head to toe." Oh. All right. But that's just one judge. Maybe an athlete, like the recently-retired Janine Murray of Australia, who competed in the London Olympics, might have a more positive perspective?

"Judging issues in rhythmic gymnastics are almost as prolific as doping issues in cycling," Murray said. Hmm. That's pretty much the exact opposite of a ringing endorsement.

FIG is taking steps to contain the crisis, suspending many involved with the scandal and preparing to conduct tests in a far more secure location. But the cloud remains ... and as long as individual judgment is the standard for awarding medals, it always will.

The Wayne Rooney transfer saga has entered a state of ridiculousness

Whew, this Wayne Rooney transfer saga has entered a state of total and utter ridiculousness.

By now you know all the pertinent facts of Wazza’s situation:

• Benched by Sir Alex Ferguson in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Madrid and other key matches including the final match of the 2012-13 Premier League season;
• Verbally requests a transfer from Fergie;
• Linked with a number of big clubs across the globe from PSG to Barcelona to Chelsea;
• Heads to Asia with United in the best shape he’s been in “for the last five years” only to discover he has a hamstring injury and is immediately sent home;
• Learns from manager David Moyes that he is surplus goods to Robin van Persie;
• Becomes reportedly “angry and confused” at Moyes’ soundbite;
• Is the subject of a $30 million (£20m) bid by Chelsea with manager Jose Mourinho claiming Rooney is his only target
• Is further linked with Arsenal after Wenger notes he can afford Rooney

So what, exactly, does all the aforementioned drama end up doing?

Drives more drama, naturally.

Even when drama isn’t there.

And so now, for every finger that Wayne Rooney lifts until this mind-numbing process finally comes to a close (fingers crossed it will drag out until the final day of the transfer window!) we, the good people in love with this glorious league will have to deal with ridiculous updates.

Like today, Sky Sports is reporting – now, hold onto your hats, people – that Rooney has arrived at Manchester United’s training ground.

Astonishing, isn’t it?

The thought that a player would actually show up to the club that employs him in order to treat a bum hamstring. Truly remarkable stuff!

So stay tuned! Word has it Rooney will be eating tuna fish for lunch.