St. Mary’s Hospital in London is getting ready for the birth of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s third child. Hospital staff recently suspended parking and installed crowd barriers outside of the wing that will house Middleton, signaling the baby will come any day now.
According to Daily Mail , Middleton will give birth inside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London. This is the same wing where Middleton had Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The Duchess of Cambridge will have a team of around 20 doctors and staff working to ensure everything goes smoothly. This includes gynecologist Alan Farthing and obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston, both of whom helped in Middleton’s previous pregnancies.
Hospital staff recently suspended parking outside of the Lindo Wing and installed some crowd barriers across the street. Kensington Palace has not revealed the exact due date, but the moves from the hospital indicate the birth could happen any day now. Original estimates put the birth towards the end of April.
Middleton and William are reportedly waiting until the birth to find out the gender and ultimately settle on a name. So far, the most popular names are Mary, Alice, Victoria, and Elizabeth, assuming the child is a girl. Whatever they name their third child, most U.K. bookies believe Middleton will have a girl, which means another sister for Prince George.
Countdown to Baby Cambridge #3 begins. The no parking signs are up outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s hospital, Paddington, London where Kate will give birth later this month @people pic.twitter.com/7Lc7jwgYbc
— Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) April 9, 2018
After Middleton has the child, Kensington Palace will make a formal announcement on Instagram and Twitter. Buckingham Palace will also place the news on a bulletin board outside of the forecourt.
Middleton will show off the new baby soon after, but then probably won’t make any more public appearances for a few weeks after the birth as she recovers.
She is, however, expected to make an appearance at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, which will take place on May 19. Depending on when Middleton has the baby, she will only have a few weeks of recovery before the wedding.
It isn’t clear what kind of role Middleton will play in the ceremony, but it will be the perfect opportunity to get a first look at her new baby.
Middleton’s newest addition will become the fifth in line to inherit the crown. Prince Charles is first in line to the throne, followed by Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte.
The baby will also bump Prince Harry one more position down the succession line. As fans will recall, a law passed in 2011 made men and women equal when it comes to royal succession.
Prince William and Middleton currently share two children. They had Prince George in 2013 and Princess Charlotte in 2015, both inside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital. The couple has not commented on the pregnancy or what they are planning on naming the child.
Middleton is expected to return to the couple’s home inside Kensington Palace after the birth is over. Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their family have lived in Apartment 1A since 2014 following a $7.6 million renovation.
