After more than a week of Royal Baby Watch activities in London, an official statement on social media indicates that Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, aka Kate Middleton, is in the early stages of labor.
A Twitter message from @Clarence House proclaimed, “The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge.”
That was followed by this tweet, “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labor.”
The brief messages were posted at 7:30 a.m. UK time, or 2:30 a.m. eastern time in the U.S., some 90 minutes after William and Kate arrived at the hospital in a two car entourage that traveled via side roads, entering through the Mary Stanford wing of the medical facility.
As planned, Prince William accompanied his wife to the hospital and is will be at her bedside throughout the labor and delivery.
Kate is being attended by the Queen’s former gynecologist, Marcus Setchell, 69, who will head a delivery team that includes prominent surgeon, Alan Farthing – who could be called into service if a C-section becomes necessary.
When the Royal baby is born, a palace aid will leave the hospital with a Buckingham Palace letterhead document that has been signed by the medical team. The information will be transported under police escort to Buckingham Palace, where it will be placed on an easel in the Palace forecourt.
The baby’s birth will be marked by a 41-gun salute in Green Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London.
Queen Elizabeth will receive the first official call from her grandson Prince William. After other Royal Family members and the Middleton family are informed, the news will be posted on social media.
Initial information will include the gender of the baby, and may include birth weight and hair color. It is expected that the name of the newborn will be withheld for a future announcement.
Photo: WENN