Prince William's wife Kate in labour

LONDON, United Kingdom – Prince William's wife Kate was admitted to hospital on Saturday in the early stages of labour with the couple's eagerly-awaited second child, Kensington Palace said.

"The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted at 6.00 hours to St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London and is in the early stages of labour," the palace press office said in a statement.

"The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge," it said.

This will be the couple's second child after Prince George, born in 2013.

He or she will be the fourth in line to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son Prince Charles, his eldest son William, and George, the new arrival's big brother.

William was expected to stay by his wife's side throughout the labour, as he did at George's birth in July 2013.

Queen Elizabeth, senior royals and Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, will be the first to be informed of the news.

It will then be announced both on the official Kensington Palace Twitter account and in the traditional way -- with a royal bulletin displayed on an ornate easel in Buckingham Palace's forecourt.

Guy Thorpe-Beeston, surgeon-gynaecologist to the royal household and a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, is leading the delivery team.

The world's press quickly gathered outside St Mary's in anticipation of the birth.

William's office announced on April 21 that he had gone on leave from his job as an air ambulance pilot after completing his training ahead of the birth.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace, William's official residence, said he would not return to work until June 1.

- Gun salutes in celebration -

He and Kate are planning to spend the first few days after the birth at Kensington Palace, their London residence.

They will then travel to Anmer Hall, a country mansion on Queen Elizabeth's privately-owned Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, where they have set up home.

Cannons will be fired across London to celebrate the birth -- 62 shots from the Tower of London and 41 from Green Park -- and the British flag will be flown from government buildings.

The baby's name may not be revealed for several days -- William's name was not announced for a week, while the world had to wait one month after his father Charles was born.

George was named two days after his birth.

The baby will be known as His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess (name) of Cambridge.

The baby will be christened as a member of the Church of England, wearing a replica of the intricate lace and satin gown made for queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841.

Experts say the royal birth could inject tens of millions of pounds (euros, dollars) into the British economy, with a baby princess particularly lucrative because she could become a fashion trendsetter.

George's birth gave Britain a £390 million (544 million euros, $592 million) boost and the new baby is expected to generate approximately £300 million, according to figures from the London School of Marketing.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Everyone is ready, but Britain's royal baby bides its time

LONDON - The hospital is ready, the Wikipedia page and Twitter accounts are up and Britain's famously creative press are running out of ideas. But there was still no sign Sunday of the royal baby.

Prince William is filling the time until his wife Catherine goes into labour playing polo, taking part in charity matches on Saturday and Sunday with his younger brother Harry.

He has taken a couple of days off from his work as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in Wales, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said, although he refused to say when the prince might be going back.

The palace has stayed tight-lipped about the birth of the new third in line to the throne, saying nothing for days other than to reiterate that Catherine is due some time in mid-July.

The press had pencilled in Saturday as the day, but bookmakers William Hill tipped Sunday as the likely due date, with Paddy Power offering equal odds on Sunday and Monday.

The only thing that is certain is that babies rarely come on time -- and that when this new heir to the Windsor dynasty finally arrives, the world will be ready.

In keeping with the digital age, the newborn already has its own page on Wikipedia entitled "Child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge", to use William and Kate's formal titles.

Several spoof Twitter accounts have also been set up, with one, @RoyalFoetus, already claiming 5,500 followers. On June 19, it declared: "One is done with gestating."

Camera crews and photographers from around the world have been camped for two weeks outside St Mary's Hospital in London where Catherine, 31, is due to give birth.

And a row of parking spaces have been reserved by the royals outside the private Lindo Wing until the end of the month.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported that Kate's gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell, will be given a police escort to hospital when she goes into labour.

Previous reports said that Setchell had given up alcohol for several weeks in preparation for the birth.

In the absence of any proper news about the baby, such tidbits formed the bulk of the royal coverage in Britain's normally hard-hitting Sunday newspapers.

The Sunday Express reported "exclusively" that Catherine had spent the weekend at her parents' home in Berkshire, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) west of London.

The Sunday Telegraph meanwhile noted that if the bookmakers are to be believed, the baby will be a girl called Alexandra and will weigh between 7lbs and 7lb 15 oz (3.17 to 3.60 kg).

Looking ahead to how William and Catherine will bring up their child, the Mail on Sunday published a poll showing that 53 percent of people think the couple should not use a nanny.

A further 56 percent of respondents think Catherine should cut back significantly on her royal duties after the birth.

The paper said that palace officials expected Catherine to resume some public engagements later this year.

The child, the first for its superstar parents, has caused huge interest among the world's media, but tourists visiting London this weekend had a mixed reaction.

A few were excited that their visit might coincide with Kate going into labour and others appeared blissfully ignorant, but most knew and seemed unmoved.

"I think it's more important to the people of UK," Rosa Robledo, a fifty-something tourist from the US state of Texas told AFP outside St Paul's Cathedral.

"It's like -- so there's a queen or a king, and there is a child born. OK, and it goes on."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com