- .Royal couple do not know the sex of the baby and will not be finding out
- .Duchess of Cambridge not 'too posh to push' and is planning a natural birth
- .Mother Carole and sister Pippa will probably be with Kate during labour
- .William to attend, but may arrive at hospital by helicopter from base in Wales
- .He will get two weeks’ statutory paternity leave and then return to work
- .The Middleton family will be told of the birth at the same time as the Queen
- .Baby will be born at Paddington hospital where Princess Diana had William
- .Birth to be announced on document displayed on Buckingham Palace easel
- .It was last used for Prince William's birth on June 21, 1982
The Duchess of Cambridge is planning to give birth naturally and has chosen the same private hospital where her husband was born to deliver the future baby king or queen, royal sources revealed today.
The royal mother-to-be is definitely not ‘too posh to push’ and wants – unless nature intervenes – to opt for a natural birth rather than an elective caesarean section like many celebrity figures, MailOnline understands.
Kate, 31, who is expecting her first baby in mid-July, will give birth to the new third-in-line-to-the-throne at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, west London, where Prince William was delivered in 1982.
Royal baby: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arriving at Westminster Abbey for the Queen's Coronation Service this month, do not know the sex of the baby and Kate will give birth naturally
Preparations: Kate looked happy as she sat with the Duchess of Cornwall on Saturday, as details of Palace preparations for her labour became public today
Significantly, our sources also strongly hinted that Kate's family – particularly her mother, Carole Middleton, and sister, Pippa - are likely to be present at the hospital during her labour.
Remarkably, this means that the Middleton family may learn the sex of the new-born future king or queen before even the present Queen herself.
Sources have told MailOnline that Kate is particularly keen to have her family around her as anxious father-to-be William, 30, may be on duty in North Wales, where he is still working as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey, when the baby arrives.
William is said to be determined to make it to the delivery suite, following in the footsteps of his own father who broke royal tradition to be with his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, for the birth of both their children. Previous heirs have been born at home or Buckingham Palace.
As a result, plans are currently being formulated by palace aides to whisk him down to London by helicopter so he can be present at his son or daughter’s birth.
The royal couple are bucking the trend because they do not want to know their baby's gender.
Mr Clive Spence Jones, consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician at the Whittington Hospital in North London, said that from his experience around 75 per cent of parents choose to discover the sex of their baby:
‘The option to find out is widely available to pregnant mother at 20 weeks. While three quarters of mothers choose to find out if their having a boy or a girl, there is a significant minority who choose to leave it as a surprise,’ he said.
Royal princess? The Duchess of Cambridge names The Royal Princess ship at Southampton last week by smashing a bottle of champagne on its hull
Having a giggle: As the champagne smashed on the ship Kate laughed and jumped a little, and despite her loose coat she couldn't hide how pregnant she was
But as any new parent knows, babies have an uncanny knack of making an appearance at the most inconvenient times and the journey is likely to take several hours even with the help of a private aircraft.
‘He very much plans to be at the birth but between now and then will also be on and off duty in North Wales, meaning he might have to get there rather swiftly,’ said a source.
‘It could be by train or car if he is up in Anglesey but should a helicopter be available then that is also a strong possibility.’
Helicopters aside, the future king is not expecting any special treatment and is due to take just two weeks’ statutory paternity leave – for which he will be paid £136.78 a week – before returning to his normal shift pattern.
His wife, however, will definitely not return with him to their home on Anglesey with the new baby.
A palace spokesman said today that there was ‘still some discussion’ about where Kate and their new-born will be based as a result.
Growing: Kate waved her 'Baby on Board' badge to the Queen (left) and later in Grimsby at five months pregnant
Bump: The pregnant Catherine visits Hope House in Clapham in February and then at a Manchester school on St George's Day when six months pregnant
But the Daily Mail has already revealed that she plans to move in with her parents at their £4.8 million Berkshire mansion for around six weeks after William returns to work as builders are still finishing their new apartment at Kensington Palace.
Details of the royal birth plans indicate that although they are a very modern royal couple in many ways, William and Kate are largely sticking to tradition when it comes to their first child.
Their office has declined to reveal the baby’s actual due date, although Kate herself let slip during a public walkabout earlier this year that it was expected in mid-July.
A spokesman also insisted that, contrary to much speculation, the couple had chosen not to find out the sex of their baby before-hand.
Like the late Princess Diana before her, Kate has chosen the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s where a natural birth, staying in a private suite, is likely to cost up to £10,000.
William became the first future monarch in history to be born in a hospital when he was delivered there on 21st June 1982, followed by his brother, Harry.
Same again: On June 22 1982 a sign on an easel was placed at the gates of Buckingham Palace announcing the birth, the previous day, of Prince William. The same will happen this year with his child, to add some 'theatre'
Historic: The same easel will be used when the royal baby is born in around a month's time (left), and will use the same kind of written announcement (right)
Loving mother: Diana, the Princess of Wales with her son, Prince William, on her lap at Kensington Palace. Her son and his wife will also hold a similar official shoot after the baby is born
RUSH TO THE BIRTH: PRINCE WILLIAM MAY GET TO KATE'S SIDE ON AN RAF CHOPPER FROM WALES
Father-to-be Prince William may have to rush to hospital via helicopter for the arrival of his first child.
William, 30, will still be working as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey, when his wife Kate Middleton is due to give birth in mid-July.
But sources have told MailOnline that she is particularly keen to have her family around her in the delivery suite.
Significantly, our sources strongly hinted that Kate's family – particularly her mother, Carole Middleton, and sister, Pippa - are likely to be present at the hospital during her labour.
Remarkably, this means that the Middleton family may learn the sex of the new-born future king or queen before even the present Queen herself.
William is said to be determined to make it, following in the footsteps of his own father who broke royal tradition to be with his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, for the birth of both their children.
Previous heirs have been born at home or Buckingham Palace.
As a result, plans are currently being formulated by palace aides to whisk him down to London by helicopter so he can be present at his son or daughter’s birth.
But as any new parent knows, babies have an uncanny knack of making an appearance at the most inconvenient times and the journey is likely to take several hours even with the help of a private aircraft.
‘He very much plans to be at the birth but between now and then will also be on and off duty in North Wales, meaning he might have to get there rather swiftly,’ said a source.
‘It could be by train or car if he is up in Anglesey but should a helicopter be available then that is also a strong possibility.'
The Royal Household’s official Surgeon-gynaecologist, Alan Farthing, the former fiancé of murdered television presenter Jill Dando, is by happy co-incidence a consultant gynaecologist at St Mary’s and will be assisting with the labour. He will be led by the Queen’s own Surgeon-Gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell.
It is understood that contingency plans have been put in place with other hospitals, such as the Royal Berkshire in Reading, in case the Duchess goes into labour when visiting her parents.
But a source told the Mail: ‘As was demonstrated when the Duchess fell ill with a pregnancy-related sickness last year while staying with her parents in Berkshire, she can she be whisked in a private car to central London within an hour. So it is very unlikely she will give birth anywhere else than St Mary’s, quite frankly.’
Unusually, palace officials will make public the fact that the Duchess has gone into labour within minutes of her being admitted to hospital and being seen by a doctor.
While palace aides are keen to retain Kate’s ‘dignity’ as a woman in labour, they acknowledge the fact that social media such as Twitter will make it almost impossible to keep her admittance a secret unless she is smuggled in.
But although both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House have their own Twitter accounts on which details of royal events are frequently now broken, it will - blessedly, some might say - most definitely not be the preferred medium to announce the new royal baby.
Instead a formal notice on a piece of creamy A4 size Buckingham Palace-headed paper, signed by the medical staff who have assisted the Duchess, will be brought out of the Lindo’s front entrance by a press officer.
It will then be handed to a waiting driver and driven through the streets of London – escorted by police outriders - to the Privy Purse Door at the front of Buckingham Palace.
There it will then be placed on an easel, last used to announce Prince William’s birth, by the main gates in the palace forecourt.
This will signify to an eager public that a new royal baby has been born.
A palace spokesman explained that the rather theatrical nature of the announcement was crucial to retaining a sense of dignity appropriate for the birth of an heir to the throne.
He said: ‘We wanted to retain some of the theatre of the notice. It is quite important to us that this is done properly and with the degree of dignity that the event demands. This is the birth of a child who will be in line to the throne. It is a rare occasion and it is nice to be able to do it with some historical precedence.’
Choice: The baby will be born at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, exactly where Prince William was born in 1982
Princess Diana gave birth to her eldest son in the hospital's Lindo Wing, and Kate will do the same 31 years later
Medics: The Royal Household’s official Surgeon-gynaecologist, Alan Farthing (left), the former fiancé of Jill Dando, will be led by the Queen’s own Surgeon-Gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell (right) during labour
Event: The Queen, pictured with Prince Charles and Camilla at Ascot today, will probably find out about the birth and baby's gender as it is understood Kate's mother and sister will be with her during labour
HISTORIC EASEL SEEN ON DAY OF WILLIAM'S BIRTH TO BE USED AGAIN
The birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first child - a future heir to the throne - will be announced in exactly the same way as Prince William's to retain 'the theatre' of a genuine royal occasion.
As soon as the baby is born, a proclamation signed by doctors who delivered the boy or girl will be rushed from the ward and displayed at the gates of Buckingham Palace within minutes.
Like the late Princess Diana before her, Kate, 31, has chosen the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s where a natural birth, staying in a private suite, is likely to cost up to £10,000.
William, 30, became the first future monarch in history to be born in a hospital when he was delivered there on 21st June 1982, followed by his brother, Harry.
Although both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House have their own Twitter accounts on which details of royal events are frequently now broken, it will most definitely not be the preferred medium to announce the new royal baby.
Instead a formal notice on a piece of creamy A4 size Buckingham Palace-headed paper, signed by the medical staff who have assisted the Duchess, will be brought out of the Lindo’s front entrance by a press officer.
It will then be handed to a waiting driver and driven through the streets of London – escorted by police outriders - to the Privy Purse Door at the front of Buckingham Palace.
There it will then be placed on an easel, last used to announce Prince William’s birth, by the main gates in the palace forecourt.
This will signify to an eager public that a new royal baby has been born.
At the same time, however, Kensington Palace does plan to send out an 'electronic press release' containing a little more detail, such as the baby’s weight. When Prince William was born, for example, it was revealed by press officers that he had blue eyes and had ‘cried lustily’ as he was handed to his parents.
The spokesman added: ‘It is very important [to us] that it will not be announced first on Twitter, although it will be announced on Twitter in due course.’
However if the baby is born between 10.30pm and 8am, the news will be sent out via press release with the easel being erected later that morning, at around 9am.
‘If the baby is born late at night, it would be unreasonable not to tell anyone [and] we wouldn’t run around with a police escort at 3am. We would be slightly disappointed not to announce it on the easel first, but would still put the notice up the next morning,’ an aide explained.
Palace sources have also made clear the birth will not be made public until the Queen and senior members of the royal family have been informed - and, of course, the Middletons, in the unlikely scenario that they are not at the hospital.
MailOnline understands that William himself is likely to phone the Queen before anyone else, even his own father, depending on what time of day the baby is born.
‘Clearly if they are together the Middleton family will be informed pretty quickly….efforts will be made to contact the Queen soon after and members of the royal family will be told as soon as is practically possible. Whether they are woken depends on what time of day it was,’ the source added.
It is also hoped that William will make a short statement on the steps of the hospital after the good news has been dispersed – as will the Middletons, although the mechanics of this have yet to be discussed.
‘While it is a deeply personal and private event, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge realise this is a time of national celebration and that there will be vast interest in the baby. They realise many people will want to share in their happiness,’ a spokesman said.
Joy: William, pictured with the Queen on Monday at the annual Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle, will be with his wife for the birth, even if he is flown in by helicopter from his Welsh RAF station
Early days: Prince William leaves the King Edward VII hospital with his wife, where she had spent four days being treated for acute morning sickness at the start of her pregnancy last year
Happy day: Kate's pregnancy came around 18 months after their wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29 2011
ROYAL DELIVERY... AT A COST OF £10,000: INSIDE THE HOSPITAL WING WHERE KATE WILL GIVE BIRTH AND WHERE PRINCE WILLIAM WAS BORN IN 1982
Like the late Princess Diana before her, Kate has chosen the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s in Paddington, west London, where staying in a private suite for a natural birth is likely to cost up to £10,000.
The internationally renowned wing - where Princes William and Harry were born - is a dedicated private facility which caters for complex pregnancies and deliveries, as well as multiple births.
Deluxe rooms or a suite are available on request - and each one is fitted with satellite TV, a radio, a safe, bedside phone and fridge.
30 years ago: New born Prince William with Diana Princess of Wales and Prince Charles leave St. Mary's hospital on June 22, 1982, the same route WIlliam and Kate will likely take
Following the royal baby's arrival, Kate and her guests can choose from a comprehensive wine list should they wish to enjoy a glass of Champagne and a toast.
The Duchess will also be able to access the internet and have a choice of daily newspapers delivered to her room each morning throughout her stay.
And if the new mum has any special dietary requests, a dedicated kitchen staff will be on hand to cater to her needs.
The Lindo Wing has a team of maternity support workers and nursery nurses who can offer advice and reassurance to all new mothers staying there.
The wing provides expert consultant-led obstetric, neonatal care and anaesthetist care with 24-hour access to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s state-of-the-art maternal and foetal specialist services.
Part of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, St Mary's is described as having 'modern, consultant-led world-class care'.
The hospital also has a special care section,The Winnicott Baby Unit.
It can care for up to 18 babies at a time in intensive care, high dependency or special care.
Around 350 premature or sick newborn babies are cared for each year by the multidisciplinary team.
The Lindo Wing was re-opened in June 2012 after extensive refurbishment.
Prince William was born at 9.03pm on June 21, 1982, weighing 7lb 1.5oz in the same wing.
He made his public debut with his parents outside the hospital, wrapped in a white blanket carried in the arms of his mother Diana, with the Prince of Wales at their side.
Harry was born in the same exclusive wing just over two years later.
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