Prince William's wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is in labour in St. Mary's Hospital in London and "things are progressing normally," Buckingham Palace officials said after she was admitted early today, as throngs of reporters and well-wishers remained camped outside the hospital.
The former Catherine Middleton, commonly known as Kate, travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the hospital with the Duke of Cambridge. She is expected to give birth in the private Lindo Wing, where her husband and his younger brother, Prince Harry, were born to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Charles.
Kate, 31, was admitted without fanfare or a police escort at about 6 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET), according to palace officials, who informed the media about 90 minutes later. Her medical team is led by royal gynecologist Dr. Marcus Setchell.
CBC royals commentator Bonnie Brownlee said Monday morning that it's not surprising William and Kate managed to make their way into the hospital without fanfare.
"This has been so well kept of a good secret," Brownlee said. "People have to understand this is a significant historical moment for them as a young couple, but it's important for them to have some sense of privacy."
CBC's Susan Ormiston, among the reporters waiting outside the hospital, says the eyes of Britain have turned to the young couple who will soon become three.
"Indeed the Great Kate Wait is finally over," Ormiston said. "The hundreds of media here are relieved, and this country is extremely excited, the prime minister saying the hopes of all of Britain are with Kate today."
Ormiston added that Buckingham Palace isn't expected to give regular updates on the labour, but the palace did say after Kate was admitted that "things are progressing normally."
The baby will be third in line to the British throne, and should eventually succeed grandfather Prince Charles and father William as king or queen of Britain and 15 other countries, including Canada and Australia.
But little else is known about the eagerly awaited royal baby, from how it will arrive, to its gender or name. It is not known, for instance, if the Duchess of Cambridge will have a natural birth or deliver by a caesarean section.
Word of birth to come in various ways
Royal watchers must wait to be told of the baby's arrival from the palace, which plans to reveal the news through a mixture of tradition and social media.
Palace officials have said the first hint will come when a royal aide emerges from the hospital with a signed bulletin carrying the Buckingham Palace letterhead. The bulletin will be given to an official who will be driven to the palace, where it will be posted on an easel in public view in front of the building. It's the same easel used to announce the birth in 1982 as Prince William.
At the same time the bulletin is posted, there will be an official announcement on Twitter and the media will be formally notified. The document will give the baby's gender, weight and time of birth.
It could be some time before the baby's name is made public — it took a week for William's name to be announced, while Charles's name remained a mystery for a month.
But it is the baby's gender that is of particular interest because the prospect of Kate's pregnancy prompted a change to laws of succession to ensure a daughter would not be passed over for the crown by a younger brother. Boy or girl, the child will be third in line to the throne and the prospective future monarch.
Prince Charles was on official duty in Yorkshire, more than 320 kilometres from London in the north of England, on Monday as Kate entered hospital for the birth of his first grandchild. When asked by reporters and the crowd what he knew about Kate's labour, he would only say "no news yet" and that he was still awaiting word of any progress.
The birth of a new heir to the throne has been breathlessly anticipated since William and Kate wed on April 29, 2011, in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
When news of a royal pregnancy was announced, there was rejoicing in many households in Britain and throughout the world.
Despite a rough start to her pregnancy, when she was hospitalized for acute morning sickness, the Duchess of Cambridge made a number of public appearances that were halted only near the end of her term.
Since the duchess has cut back on her royal duties, media outlets have been clamouring for position outside the hospital in anticipation of the birth, jockeying to secure the best vantage point for filming William and Kate emerging, babe in arms.
Royal devotees camp out
News that Kate was in labour invigorated the makeshift encampment outside St. Mary's, with reporters filing updates in a dozen languages. Tourists could be seen photographing the plain, five-storey brick building, its front door flanked by four police officers.
Lisa Somerville of Ladner, B.C., is in London with her family and soaking in all the royal baby excitement. (CBC) Lisa Somerville, a tourist from Ladner, B.C., who is among Canadians excited about the royal birth, said her family felt lucky to be there.
"Well, it's pretty amazing to think that she's going to have the baby sometime today, hopefully," said Somerville, adding that the fact the first-born of William and Kate will be third in line to the throne makes her family's visit to Britain even more significant.'All these years of watching things happening in front of Buckingham Palace and now we're here, a part of history.'—Lisa Somerville, B.C. resident visiting London
"That's a very exciting event to be a part of. All these years of watching things happening in front of Buckingham Palace, and now we're here, a part of history. That's really a wonderful thing for us to experience as a family."
Terry Hutt, a 78-year-old carpenter from Cambridge in eastern England, sensed an end to the vigil he has kept for 12 days, sleeping outside the hospital on a bench covered with a Union Jack blanket.
Hutt, who is proud to have met every royal from the late Queen Mother on, said he was doing his bit for Britain by camping outside the hospital in his red, white and blue Union Jack suit, holding flags and congratulatory banners.
"To me, the Royal Family play a very, very important role," he said. "Visitors from all over the world haven't got a king and queen. It's a plus for us."
As London commuters rushed past the hospital to work, Pascal Faure, a maintenance contractor originally from South Africa, stopped to snap a picture on his phone for friends at home and in Australia.
"It's part of their heritage, I guess, their culture," said Faure, who claimed his own tenuous royal connection: "Apparently my third cousin once removed is Chelsy" Davy, Prince Harry's former girlfriend.
He also had more insight than most into the $8,000 US-a-night Lindo Wing. He fixed the air conditioning there last week — a good thing, too, as Monday is scheduled to be the hottest day of the year in London.
Settling into role of parents
Officials have said William plans to take two weeks of paternity leave and then return to his military duties as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in Wales.
His tour of duty is scheduled to wrap up around September, and he and Kate are expected to move from their isolated cottage on the island of Anglesey off the coast of Wales to Kensington Palace in central London.
But major refurbishment works at the palace likely won't be finished until at least a month or two after the royal birth — meaning William and Kate will most likely have to make do with their current temporary home in London, a two-bedroom property at the palace.
Come autumn, however, the family will be able to move into their permanent London home, Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace — a four-storey house with a nursery, 20 rooms and a private garden.
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