Post date: Jul 05, 2013 2:4:45 PM
Media from all over the world have already set up camp outside a private hospital wing in central London, where the the Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth to the third in line to the British throne.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 5, 2013) (REUTERS) - A tangle of ladders and metal barriers lies across the street from the hospital where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's royal baby will be born later this month, as the international media circus sets up its camp.
On Friday (July 5) some 60 ladders were in place in press pens and a few TV cameras were already in position, even though the expected due date for the Duchess of Cambridge isn't until the middle of the month.Once the baby is born, it is expected that Prince William and his wife Catherine, more popularly known as Kate, will emerge holding their new baby and pose for the world's cameras at the main entrance of the private Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington.
It is the same hospital wing where Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William in 1982 and to Prince Harry in 1984.
Reportedly Kate is keen to have her mother and sister, Carole and Pippa Middleton, at her side in the hospital, especially as Prince William could be on duty as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Anglesey in North Wales when she goes into labour.
This would mean that the Middleton family could learn the sex of the future monarch before even Queen Elizabeth, but Buckingham Palace officials have insisted both families will be informed almost simultaneously.
Palace officials have also said that the couple do not know the sex of the baby, despite media speculation a few months ago they knew they were expecting a girl.
Prince William is determined to attend the birth and will fly in via helicopter if he has to, to follow in the steps of his father Prince Charles, who broke with royal tradition 31 years ago to be in the delivery room when William was born.
Some media report Kate's due date is July 13, while others report July 17. The Palace has refused to comment on specific due dates.