At 4.20 GMT Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, gave birth to a baby boy at Frimley Park Hospital.

Viscount Severn, as he will be known, weighed 6lb 2oz at birth and was delivered by Caesarean section. The baby is the Queen’s and the Duke of Edinburgh’s eighth grandchild.

After the problems Sophie had in the past, this birth seems to have gone as well as could be expected. Both parents are said “to be thrilled” by the event.

The London Evening Standard is reporting that Prince Philip, who is about to celebrate the longest marriage to a reigning Monarch, has a secret heart condition. He has suffered from it for the past 15 years.

Prince Philip (left) at the Highland Games this summer

The Prince, who is 86, suffered a bout of ill-health recently which caused much concern in the Royal Family. However, he has insisted on carrying out his busy schedule of Royal engagements.

The Palace has apparently brought forward the task of preparing Prince William and Prince Harry for their future official roles.

An aide told the paper, “Prince Philip in particular is acutely aware of the need to prepare for the future”.

The Duke “has to take medication regularly and his bodyguards and aides are on constant alert to take him to hospital instantly if he becomes dizzy or short of breath”.

An unnamed courtier said, “The Queen and the family have been been concerned about the Duke in recent weeks. He was not feeling himself and given his age and his heart condition, it added to the worry.”

But will he reduce his workload? “Who is going to tell him? To be blunt, the Duke is not somebody you tell what to do.”

On his return from Balmoral, he carried out eight engagements, said to include opening buildings, hosting receptions, lunches dinners and meetings.

Next month he will fly with the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla to the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Uganda. It’s the first time that Charles will accompanying his parents on such a high profile visit.

Other engagements next month include Philip accompanying the Queen on a private visit to Malta, where the couple lived before Elizabeth became Queen. There is also their Diamond Wedding service at Westminster Abbey and a party arranged by William and Harry.

A senior official commented, “The Duke of Edinburgh has lived with a heart condition for years for which he takes medication. Those who work close to him are informed of the symptoms and if he shows any sign of them he is to be taken straight to see a specialist. He has regular check ups but recently there has been some concern as he was feeling unwell. The concern is due, primarily, to his age.”

Three years ago, when he suffered bruising to his face after slipping in the bath, he reportedly told a journalist in typical fashion, “Do I look bloody ill.”

The British public has voted massively for the Queen as “The Greatest Living Briton 2007″. The ITV show was broadcast live and viewers asked to vote for their choice. The awards ceremony was to celebrate British achievement.

The Queen at her Coronation in 1953

Her Majesty finished top of a list of other famous — but in some cases less worthy — Britons, including Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Julie Andrews, Baroness Thatcher and Robbie Williams.

The Queen wasn’t present to receive her accolade. Her son Prince Edward paid tribute via a video transmission.

Coincidentally, Dame Helen Mirren, who claimed an Oscar earlier this year for her portrayal of the Queen, took the top prize for the Greatest Briton in Film.

All round a good result for the Monarch who has been on the Throne for 55 years. It really puts the politicians to shame, doesn’t it.

Ahead of a visit to Canada, the Toronto Star is singing the praises of Sophie, Countess of Wessex : “On Monday, the 41-year-old countess arrives for a three-day stay in Toronto that will include a dinner for the Munk Cardiac Centre and visits to various other sites in the University Health Network, of which she is patron.”

They certainly pile it on :

How often the 80-year-old Queen must gaze upon the one-time Sophie Rhys-Jones — the ‘lowest-born’ person ever to marry into the royal family — and think, ‘Not sure how, but one of them got it right.’ The one is Prince Edward, the youngest and least known of the Queen’s sons. In 1999, he married public-relations consultant Sophie, a tire exporter’s daughter with a striking resemblance to Princess Diana, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Sophie, mother of a 3-year-old daughter, has become a quietly hard-working Royal after early problems with her PR business, which went bust, an embarrassing meeting with a fake sheik, and nearly losing her life during childbirth.

She has become one of the Queen’s favourite companions and, like Princess Anne before her, admired for her low-key hard work and professionalism.