Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster has said the birth of a new prince is a "source of joy not only for the Royal Family but for the peoples of the United Kingdom and beyond". In a note congratulating the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on behalf of the bishops' conference of England and Wales, the archbishop said: "I assure Their Royal Highnesses of the prayers and best wishes of the Catholic Church in England and Wales for their new family. May Our Lord Jesus Christ bless and protect them, and may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Joseph intercede for them.”