The British royal family has announced the birth of a new prince - news that despite it happening on the other side of the world will be of intense interest to many Australians.
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The fact that this time, unusually, we know so very little, is in itself cause for conversation. All we do know so far is that Baby Sussex - newborn son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, otherwise known as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - is "absolutely to die for", according to his besotted, exhausted-looking dad.
We also know that we won't be seeing his glamorous mum anytime soon.
The Duchess will eschew the traditional blow-dry and pose on the steps that last followed the birth of Prince Louis, son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - a decision deemed a provocation by staunch royalists who demand the first glimpse - and a curious sense of ownership - of any royal progeny.
For some, these names are as recognisable as those of their own siblings, and such people would have opinions on Meghan Markle's decision to stand her ground. Many, many others will neither know who these people are or care about their immediate plans post-birth-suite.
But the fact remains that there is now a new member of a monarchy that's almost 1200 years old. It's notable, even in a purely historical sense.
It will be perplexing to some, but the story remains newsworthy due to an enduring appetite for any and all news of the quaint, enthralling, scandal-prone family that has lived across the pond for so very many years.
There are various reasons for this cultural phenomenon. Australia is a constitutional monarchy and, despite the failed 1998 constitutional referendum and a feeling from many that we should sever those ties, retains a soft spot for the royals. Many hundreds of thousands of us settled in to watch the last royal wedding on the telly, not to mention the one before that.
There's the preserved-in-aspic longevity that continues to fascinate, as we watch the Queen - the world's longest-reigning monarch - age gracefully as she goes inscrutably about the business of being Queen.
There surely is not a soul among us who doesn't welcome what is, at its very essence, a piece of good news
But there's also the slow - but in recent years notable - cycle of reinvention of the institution that, when you pay attention, feels like being a kind of distant witness to history in the making.
The British royals have also, since well before Shakespeare and still in the present day, been the inspiration for various art-forms, not least the hugely popular Netflix series The Crown, an only slightly fictional account of some very recent historical events, many within living memory.
And, of course, the royals regularly grace the pages of lifestyle magazines, and their various escapades - both dutiful and scandalous, are scattered through our daily news.
Most Australians born before 1990 will remember where they were the day Princess Diana died, and many will be feeling a sense of curious nostalgia at hearing the deep-voiced Harry babbling proudly about his newborn son and "amazing" wife.
Or maybe not. But there are few among us who wouldn't welcome what is, at its very essence, a piece of good news.
Good news amid the surreal drudgery of Brexit, the non-stop deluge of Trumpian vulgarity, the looming threat of environmental catastrophe. There, among it all, is a healthy baby - one that everyone knows will be cherished all around the world.
So welcome to you, as-yet-unnamed Baby Sussex, and thank you for what will likely an all-too-brief respite from the daily grind of the real world.
