If you didn’t know already, Kate Middleton went into labour this morning!
Thousands gather outside Buckingham Palace as Queen arrives home to await news of royal birth after Kate goes into labour
Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to hospital at around 5.30am and arrived in car with Prince William
Royal sources tell MailOnline: ‘Kate went into labour naturally and things are progressing well’
The 31-year-old is planning to give birth to the royal baby naturally and she was not induced into labour
Future king or queen will be born at Paddington hospital where Princess Diana had Prince William and Prince Harry
Prince William is also by his wife’s side at the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London because he’s on leave
He will take two weeks’ paternity leave when the baby is born and accept the full entitlement of £136.78 per week
The Queen is heading to Buckingham Palace and has asked to be kept informed of Kate’s condition
Prince Charles is on two-day trip to Yorkshire and told crowds there was ‘no news yet’ from hospital ward
The royal couple do not know the sex of the baby who will replace Harry as third in line to throne
Kate’s mother Carole and her younger sister Pippa will likely be with 31-year-old during labour, but are yet to arrive
Miguel Head, William’s private secretary and Duchess’s private secretary Rebecca Deacon supporting them at hospital
Royal couple helped to St Mary’s by protection officer who went with Prince Harry on infamous Vegas trip last year
Birth will be announced on document placed on an easel to be displayed by the gates of Buckingham Palace
So the whole world is waiting for the royal baby to be born.
Expectant mother: Kate, pictured when she was seen in public for the last time in June, has been admitted to hospital after she went into labour this morningBritain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attends the National Review of Queen’s Scouts at Windsor Castle in Berkshire on April 21, 2013. Prince William’s wife Catherine was admitted to hospital Monday in the early stages of labour, Kensington Palace said, as the world awaited the birth of a baby third in line to inherit the British throne
But as of now..
1730 GMT: Kate has been in labour for over 12 hours now. Not usual for a first-time mother but a pretty gruelling experience for anyone.
1713 GMT: In case you’ve been worrying about the royal baby’s astrological status, we’re now well past the hour when the sun (apparently) moves from Cancer into Leo. So unless the child was born a few hours ago, it will now be a Leo.
1500 GMT: The duchess of Cambridge has now been in labour for about ten hours.
Hundreds of journalists are assembled outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, complete with ladders, cameras and high-factor sunscreen against the unusual (for Britain) sun. At Buckingham Palace, crowds are assembling in anticipation of the announcement of the birth, to be made in the traditional manner — in writing on a golden easel, to be accompanied by cannon fire.
Vast: Crowds of tourists and well-wishers gather on the steps of the Queen Victoria Memorial Statue and at the gates outside Buckingham Palace today as they wait for the royal baby to be born
But there is still no news from the royals’ spokespeople, while mothers around the country are tweeting and blogging their sympathy for Kate’s ordeal.
Dawning realisation: A well-wisher sleeping on a bench outside the Lindo Wing wakes to the news that the Duchess had arrived and is about to give birth
