Samantha Cameron, the wife of Britain's prime minister, gave birth today to the couple's fourth child, a baby girl, while on a family holiday in the southwest of England.
David Cameron, who took office as prime minister in May, said the birth had come as "a bit of a shock" as the baby had not been expected until September but it had gone very well.
"We're absolutely thrilled. She is an unbelievably beautiful girl and I'm a very proud dad," he told British television channels outside the hospital in the town of Truro, in the picturesque region of Cornwall.
"Both baby and mum seem to be doing very well. So, really exciting and I've told the other two children who are thrilled, bouncing up and down and dying to say hello to the new baby."
The couple went into hospital at about 8am (0700 GMT) and the baby girl was born by Caesarean section at midday, weighing 6lbs 1oz (2.7 kg).
"My job was to make the toast and the tea and things like that," Cameron said.
The last time a British prime minister had a new baby while in office was when Cherie Blair, wife of the then Labour leader Tony Blair, gave birth to their fourth child, Leo, in May 2000.
Leo Blair was the first child born to a serving British prime minister for 150 years.
Samantha Cameron (39), announced shortly after the election in May she would step down as creative director of luxury goods retailer Smythson.
The couple's two other children are six-year-old Nancy and four-year-old Arthur. Their eldest son, Ivan, died in February last year aged six. He had suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy.
Mr Cameron said the new baby had not yet be named and joked that he was open to suggestions of typical names from Cornwall.
"Not that I'll have any say in it of course, anyway, but I think we'll have to have something Cornish in the middle because it's very exciting, we were on holiday and thought we were going to get through the holiday and then have the baby and it all just sort of kicked off a bit quickly," he said.
"I'd better get back in there and make some more toast," he added.
Reuters