LONDON – Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was taken to a private hospital Monday in preparation for giving birth to the child who will one day reign over Britain.
The former Kate Middleton, 31, is in the early stages of labor, a spokesman for the British royal family said. The duchess is at St. Mary’s Hospital near Paddington Station in the British capital, the same hospital where her husband, Prince William, was born in 1982.
The couple traveled by car from Kensington Palace in central London to the hospital.
News organizations and paparazzi from around the world have been camped out in front of the hospital for days to jostle for a glimpse of the pregnant duchess entering the hospital and for the moment when she and William leave with their newborn.
Fans of the British monarchy have been breathless with anticipation over the birth. The infant will be third in line to the British throne, after Prince Charles, 64, and Prince William, 31. Prince Harry, William’s younger brother, will be relegated to fourth in line.
Under a rule change currently being ratified by the 16 realms that recognize the British monarch as their head of state, including Australia, Canada and various far-flung island nations, the child’s claim as third in line will hold regardless of his or her gender.
The change sweeps aside centuries of tradition dictating that a first-born girl could ascend the throne only if she had no younger brothers, who automatically took precedence. Queen Elizabeth II, for example, is the elder of the two daughters of George VI, who had no sons.
The royal household will not make a public announcement of the birth until the queen has been notified. Then, in a mix of old and new, the news will be posted on paper on an easel inside the gates of Buckingham Palace and will go out on Twitter and other social media.
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The former Kate Middleton, 31, is in the early stages of labor, a spokesman for the British royal family said. The duchess is at St. Mary’s Hospital near Paddington Station in the British capital, the same hospital where her husband, Prince William, was born in 1982.
The couple traveled by car from Kensington Palace in central London to the hospital.
News organizations and paparazzi from around the world have been camped out in front of the hospital for days to jostle for a glimpse of the pregnant duchess entering the hospital and for the moment when she and William leave with their newborn.
Fans of the British monarchy have been breathless with anticipation over the birth. The infant will be third in line to the British throne, after Prince Charles, 64, and Prince William, 31. Prince Harry, William’s younger brother, will be relegated to fourth in line.
Under a rule change currently being ratified by the 16 realms that recognize the British monarch as their head of state, including Australia, Canada and various far-flung island nations, the child’s claim as third in line will hold regardless of his or her gender.
The change sweeps aside centuries of tradition dictating that a first-born girl could ascend the throne only if she had no younger brothers, who automatically took precedence. Queen Elizabeth II, for example, is the elder of the two daughters of George VI, who had no sons.
The royal household will not make a public announcement of the birth until the queen has been notified. Then, in a mix of old and new, the news will be posted on paper on an easel inside the gates of Buckingham Palace and will go out on Twitter and other social media.
ALSO:
The (somewhat) breathless wait for Britain's royal baby
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Beijing bombing suspect: Years of grievances over harsh treatment