Royal baby: Kate in labour as world waits

 

The duchess's due date has not been officially announced

The Duchess of Cambridge is in labour, as the world's media gathers outside the hospital awaiting news of the latest addition to the Royal family.

Catherine and the Duke of Cambridge arrived by car at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, at 06:00 BST.
Kensington Palace said she was in the early stages of labour, which was progressing as normal.
The couple do not know the sex of their first child, who will be third in line to the throne.
The world's press have been camped outside St Mary's for days in anticipation of the birth. The due date had never been officially announced but had widely been expected to be mid-July.
Royal vehicles were seen at a back entrance to the hospital at about 06:00 BST, with the announcement coming from Kensington Palace 90 minutes later.
Police presence The couple, both 31, travelled to the hospital without a police escort, their spokesman said.

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Analysis Peter Hunt Royal correspondent, BBC News

The statement from Kensington Palace contains just 45 words.
Such is the global fascination with this baby, those words will be translated into countless languages and endlessly repeated until fresh information is provided once the child has been born.
This intense international interest highlights the challenges facing William and Kate.
The birth of a child is a deeply personal and private moment. But in their case, it will also be the cause of much wider celebration.
Prince Charles had a similar experience when Prince William was born. He wrote of being rewarded by seeing "a small creature" who "belonged to us even though he seemed to belong to everyone else as well".
Thirty-one years on, the world waits while the Duchess of Cambridge is in labour - something which is not without risk.
Her baby will represent the beginning of family life for the couple and will offer the House of Windsor renewed hope for the future.

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The duchess is being tended by a top medical team led by the Queen's gynaecologist Marcus Setchell, who delivered the Countess of Wessex's two children. Alan Farthing, gynaecologist to the royal household, will be assisting.

She will give birth in the hospital's private Lindo wing, where Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry were born.
There is a strong police presence around the hospital and two police officers are guarding the entrance to the private wing. The media scrum parked outside is having to contend with the heat on what is the hottest day in the UK since July 2006.
BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the duchess was thought to be one week past her due date.
"The royal statement contains 45 words. All there will be to sustain the world's media until the baby is born," he tweeted.
Last week, the Queen joked about the imminent arrival of the newest member of her family, saying she hoped the baby was born before she went on holiday to her private Balmoral estate in Scotland.
During a visit to the National Railway Museum in York, the Prince of Wales was asked by the members of the press and the public about the birth of his first grandchild but he did not divulge any information.
Easel announcement Prince William has been with his wife on annual leave and will have two weeks' paternity leave from his job as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.
It is believed the next time the couple will be seen in public is when they appear on the steps of the hospital with their baby.