How long do we have to wait for Royal baby 2? Photo / AP
The Great Kate Wait is on!
Yesterday - the reported due date for the birth of the Duchess of Cambridge's second child - passed quietly, with no sign that the new Royal is ready to make his or her much-anticipated appearance.
If rose hip tea (Kate's preferred natural choice to kick-start labour) doesn't work, then it is possible that she will arrive at the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in West London to be induced tomorrow.
Can't wait to catch a glimpse of the new arrival? Here we bring you The Mail on Sunday's indispensable guide to the Royal birth, from Kate's super-posh pregnancy, the dutiful delivery, and why you need to catch a glimpse of the new baby before Kate and William whisk their little prince or princess off to Norfolk...
Possibly the grandest, most secure - and most extraordinary - "baby bunker" in Britain, where the Royal couple will retreat after the flash-bulbs pop outside St Mary's Hospital.
On the Sandringham Estate, with no fewer than ten bedrooms, a nanny annexe, swimming pool and tennis court, it was a gift from the Queen for William's 30th birthday - a little better than a pair of socks.
And don't bother turning up to get a glimpse of the young family - it's so protected they even re-routed the gravel drive to keep prying eyes away. No expense was spared in the lavish £1.5 million ($2,994,487) renovation - a virtually new £38,000 ($75,860) kitchen was ripped out when they arrived.
Even the ship-shaped weather vane was revamped - controversially - as a St George's flag flying as an ensign was removed from the century-old decoration.
The birth will give the economy a much-needed shot in the arm, with an estimated £60 million ($119,779,489) to be spent on celebrations and souvenirs, from teapots to dummies and potties.
This will be so exclusive it'll make the Chiltern Firehouse look like the Croydon branch of KFC. There is no invitation for William's cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at the close-family-only ceremony. Even Pippa and James Middleton won't get a plus one to the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. The reception for Prince George's christening was at Clarence House, this time it'll be a super-cosy tea party at Kensington Palace.
Bookies are offering 20-1 that a girl will be called Diana after the Princess of Wales, below with William in 1983. If you really want to go for a long shot, Paddy Power are offering 250-1 it will be called Boris - or 500-1 on Khaleesi, after the 'mother of dragons' from Game Of Thrones.
The African proverb says it takes a village to raise a child... and there will certainly be a small community moving to Norfolk with the Cambridges following the birth. Italian-born housekeeper Antonella Fresolone, who used to work for the Queen, will be among them - and one of her roles is official dog-walker to Lupo, the couple's cocker spaniel. Helen Asprey, who oversees the couple's private diaries, will be on call, as will private secretaries Rebecca Deacon and Miguel Head. The Mail on Sunday understands that the couple have also found a new housekeeper and groundsman to help run Anmer Hall. Very
Downton
.
The in-laws will be moving in pretty soon after the birth. Carole and Michael Middleton are expected to be the first visitors, as they were with Prince George - then they'll take up temporary residence to help out in the first few crucial weeks. Rumour has it that they are also house-hunting in Norfolk to be closer to their grandchildren.
Like George, who was fashionably late by ten days, this second baby has kept the world waiting. Last time around the world's media was camped outside St Mary's for a month, prompting BBC reporter Simon McCoy to famously show his frustration on air saying: "Well plenty more to come from here of course, none of it news, because that will come from Buckingham Palace. But that won't stop us..." This time the press are being kept away until Kate is in labour.
Who will be hoping his niece or nephew isn't too late. He's in London today to attend the Marathon, but flying back Down Under tonight to complete his attachment with the Australian Defence Force.
Guy Thorpe-Beeston, Kate's obstetrician, doesn't like his patients to go a week over their due date. If Kate doesn't go into labour today, she may be induced.
Something Kate and William want to avoid. Last time, Kate took the shortest maternity leave in Royal history - eight weeks - but now plans to enjoy a longer break. William is on seven weeks' unpaid leave, having finished training for his job as an East Anglian air ambulance pilot.
Thrifty Kate recycled some of her maternity wardrobe from her first pregnancy - like the dalmatian-print coat, right, from Hobbs, which she wore in 2013. However, she's hardly on a tight budget, having spent around £30,000 ($59,889) this time, as we revealed earlier this month. She has help in this department from Natasha Archer, her PA and stylist.
It costs twice as much to stay overnight at the maternity wing of St Mary's than it does to stay at the Ritz. It's £945 ($1886) for each night on top of the £5,215 ($10,410) cost per birth - or £6,745 ($13,465)for a C-section. But it's no normal hospital wing, as it boasts art installations, chef-made food and even the option of champagne to toast the baby's arrival. Kate has put in a special request for a 'birthing ball' which helps exercise and relaxation.
Kate draws on a circle of friends who have had babies around the same time - including William's cousin Zara Tindall, whose 15-month-old daughter shares playdates with George at Windsor Castle.
Two have been kitted out for the new baby - one at Kensington Palace and the other at Anmer Hall, the only room there not to have been painted. Samples of pink paint - in case it's a girl - are reportedly being kept on the shelf until after the birth.
Kate was so determined to keep George away from the public eye that it was her father who took the first official family picture... although his snap of the couple in their back garden did not impress the professionals. This time will they turn to Royal favourite Hugo Burnand, known for his charm and discretion? It's more likely than them posting a selfie on Instagram.
It won't just be woollen booties for the newborn - although the nation's knitting nanas will surely oblige. Presents to George included a meadow from a friend of Charles, a crocodile from Australia, a lapis lazuli orb from Pope Francis, and a toy squirrel from the Glendelvine Estate, handed to Prince Charles.
Like just about every middle-class yummy mummy, the Duchess has been eating bowls of quinoa, a low-calorie, protein-packed superfood. She starts each day with a fruit or vegetable smoothie made using her trusty NutriBullet Blender.
Kate has been advised to drink rose hip tea, the same herbal remedy that she believes encouraged the onset of labour last time. Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C, naturally growing rose hip is thought to strengthen the muscles in the uterus and helps trigger contractions - although a hot curry is also said to do the trick.
Maria Borrallo came to the couple after 20 years of serving upper-class families in her native Spain... but she's not just a soft, nurturing presence: she's trained in martial arts and advanced driving - so she knows how to defend her Royal charge from a potential kidnapper or attacker. Skilled and discreet, Maria was first seen with Prince George on last year's tour of Australia and New Zealand, right. The Duchess - who had initially wanted to bring up her first born single-handedly - was persuaded to hire a nanny by her mother and husband after more than six months of gruelling night-time feeds. She has come to depend on Maria who knows how to make herself scarce so Kate can enjoy private time with George.
All week, #RoyalBabyWatch has been trending on Twitter, while the birth will be announced by the official @kensingtonroyal account. During the wait for George, there were at its peak 25,300 tweets per minute about the #RoyalBaby's birth.
Still no sign of the Royal Baby. One assumes it's being delivered by Royal Mail. #royalbaby
— Prince Charles (@Charles_HRH) April 22, 2015
Don't expect to see much of the new baby - Kate and William are determined to keep their young family out the limelight. You're as likely to spot Elvis as Prince George, who has been seen only once officially in this country - and that was his departure from hospital. His sole official photocalls were on his first tour to Australia and New Zealand last year. Other than a snap taken at a Father's Day polo match last summer, other images of George have all been taken and released via Clarence House.
2Day FM, the Australian radio station that made the notorious prank call after the birth of George, has banned all mention of the new baby. The edict, believed to be in the form of an email circulated by parent firm Southern Cross Austereo, comes as the broadcaster faces having its licence revoked for the ill-judged joke. Nurse Jacintha Saldanha killed herself after falling for the prank call.
The right footwear is essential when you have your own country estate. Prince George has his own miniature pair of navy Hunter wellingtons, and the new prince or princess will get their own pair as soon as they can walk. Kate caused something of a "Wellygate" controversy in 2012 when she switched her allegiance from Hunter - the favoured footwear for Sloane Rangers since Princess Diana's day - to a £160 ($319) pair of Le Chameau Vierzonord wellingtons. The fleece-lined boots are the height of luxury of the hunting shooting and fishing set, but may be an extravagance too far for a toddler - even a Royal one.
As the 'spare' to Prince George's 'heir', the new baby will become the fourth in line to the throne, bumping Prince Harry down to fifth. If the baby is a girl, the new Princess of Cambridge will be the first baby to benefit from changes to succession laws which mean boys no longer take precedence over girls... though it took until 2013 for this to become law. In recent generations, 'spares' including Princess Margaret, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry have been notably wilder than their older siblings, becoming embroiled in more than their share of scandals.
Read more:
• Royal baby: How it unfolded last time
• Royal baby: Five things you need to know
• Royal baby: Superbug closes ward where Kate is due to give birth
• Royal baby: Is Kate Middleton already overdue?
Kate practised yoga during her first pregnancy and has also been doing daily exercises this time in the hope that it will ease the birth. The Duchess believes yoga helped her ping back into shape so enviably after George was born. Within 12 weeks she was flashing a honed midriff during volleyball game. Her mother Carole is in charge of the post-baby menu plans - likely to revolve around smoothies, fresh salads and vitamin-packed soups.
Prince George loves visiting petting zoos and no doubt his younger sibling will also be joining this private family trips. Only last weekend George, below, and a very pregnant Kate visited a farm park in Bucklebury, where the young prince got up close and personal with some baby goats. He is also a regular visitor to Snettisham Farm Park in Norfolk, near Anmer Hall. The young prince is said to do a particularly good impression of the piglets. Oink, oink!
- Daily Mail
Washington Post: The mindset should be - less fuss, more fun with company.