The Duchess of Cambridge is in the early stages of labour and was admitted to hospital at just before 6am today as she prepares to give birth to the future king or queen. Prince William is with his wife at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, west London, where he himself was born in 1982.
Palace officials chose to make the announcement that Kate has gone into labour public in an attempt to balance her ‘dignity’ with the fact that social media makes it almost impossible to keep her baby’s imminent arrival a secret.
‘The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted this morning to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labour,’ a royal spokesman said.’The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing with The Duke of Cambridge’.
Kate and William, who spent the weekend at Kensington Palace, travelled without a police escort. Sources told MailOnline that Kate went into labour naturally and things are ‘progressing well’. This morning there is a strong police presence around the hospital and two police officers guarded the entrance to the private wing.
The couple’s child will become third in the line of succession, displacing Prince Harry to fourth and the Duke of York to fifth.
As a result of recent, long-anticipated changes in the law, the baby will also be made an HRH (His or Her Royal Highness) and given the title Prince or Princess of Cambridge. If she is a girl, she will one day, become Queen, just as a boy will become King.
He or she is also destined to become a future head of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England and head of the Commonwealth, which covers 54 nations across the world, and subsequently head of state of 16 countries.The birth is also a momentous event for the present Queen personally.The last time a still-serving monarch got to meet a great grandchild born in direct succession to the crown was nearly 120 years ago.
Queen Victoria, who reigned until 1901, was still sovereign when her great grandchild Edward VIII, who later abdicated, was born third in line in 1894.William and Kate’s baby will be the great great great great great grandchild of Queen Victoria and the present Queen’s third great grandchild.
The couple still do not know the sex of their baby, bucking the trend of 75 per cent of British parents who now choose to discover the gender of their child.
Sources close to the new royal mother-to-be suggest that she is definitely not ‘too posh to push’ and wants – unless nature intervenes – to opt for a natural birth rather than an elective caesarean section like many celebrity figures.
The Royal Household’s official surgeon-gynaecologist, Alan Farthing, the former fiancé of murdered television presenter Jill Dando, is the consultant gynaecologist at St Mary’s and will be assisting with the labour. He will be led by the Queen’s own surgeon-gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell.
The Duchess of Cambridge is likely be relieved their baby is finally on its way after coping with being pregnant in the middle of Britain’s longest heatwave for seven years.Kate has been admitted to hospital on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far.
The mercury is expected to reach 33C (91.4F), with the Midlands and the South of England the likely contenders for the hot spots.
Mervi Jokinen, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: ‘It gets quite uncomfortable being pregnant in the heat. Your legs swell more. It’s actually more uncomfortable. If you go into labour, it can be a relief.’
The joyous arrival of Baby Cambridge will set the seal on an immensely happy – and settled – period for the Royal Family, after several decades dominated by highly public marital strife. More pertinently, it will be time of immeasurable joy for first-time parents William and Kate, who have made no secret of their desire to start a family.
In an interview to mark their engagement in 2010, Kate said of the importance of family to her: ‘Yes. It’s very important to me. And I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves.’ When asked about his future plans in the military, William added in an interview last year: ‘More importantly, I’d rather like to have children. So that’s the key thing really.’ He also revealed that he would like two children. During a two-day visit to Scotland in April, Kate disclosed she had taken up knitting ahead of the birth ,’I’ve been trying to knit and I’m really bad. I should be asking for tips,’ she admitted.
It is believed that the Duchess fell pregnant last October, within days of returning home from the couple’s hugely successful Diamond Jubilee tour on behalf of the Queen to Asia and the South Pacific. Kate was particularly keen to have her family around her as anxious father-to-be William, 30, is on duty in North Wales, where he is still working as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey.
William is said to be determined to make it to the delivery suite, following in the footsteps of his own father who broke royal tradition to be with his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, for the birth of both their children. As a result, plans have been formulated by palace aides to whisk him down to London by helicopter so he can be present at his son or daughter’s birth.
Previous heirs have been born at home or Buckingham Palace.
Source: Dailymail
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