The royal couple, officially known as the
Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge, travelled by car to the hospital before dawn and entered through a
back door to avoid media camped outside the main entrance.
Kate is due to give birth to the child at the private Lindo wing of the hospital, where her husband was born to the late Princess Diana in 1982.
Kate and William, both aged 31, met when they were students at St. Andrews University and were married in April 2011 in a spectacular wedding broadcast around the world.
The royal birth has provoked a similar frenzy, with national and
international media keeping up a deluge of speculative reports throughout Monday
from outside the hospital.
The birth will be announced in the
traditional way with an envelope containing the baby's details taken from the hospital to
Buckingham Palace, where the news will be posted on a board outside the main
gates.
"Things are progressing as normal. It wasn't an emergency," a
royal spokeswoman said.
Prime Minister David Cameron said it was an
exciting time.
"Best wishes to them, a very exciting occasion and the
whole country is excited with them. Everyone's hoping for the best," Cameron
told the BBC.
Crowds were also gathered outside Buckingham
Palace.
"We love anything and everything about the royal family. As
Canadians we really respect the queen," said Rosch Neboulsi, a tourist from
Alberta, Canada, who was standing outside the palace gates with his
family.
The baby will arrive at a time when the royal family is riding a
wave of popularity. An Ipsos Mori poll last week showed 77 percent of Britons
were in favour of remaining a monarchy over a republic, close to its best-ever
level of support.
The event seals a remarkable comeback for the House of
Windsor, regenerated by the younger royals. The death of Princess Diana in 1997
had led to a dip in popularity amid accusations it was out of touch with modern
Britain.
But last year's celebrations of the Queen's 60th year on the
throne showed the affection with which she is held by most of the population,
despite a small but vocal Republican movement.
The royal birth might also
help raise the national mood, battered by economic problems, unemployment, cuts
in public spending and a rising gap between rich and poor.
The festive
atmosphere has been heightened by a heatwave and a string of British sporting
victories in tennis, rugby, cricket and cycling.
Royal supporter Terry
Hutt, 78, who has waited outside the hospital for 12 days, acknowledged his joy
over the imminent arrival.
"We've got a lovely married couple and baby
will make three and they will be a family. It means everything to me, girl or
boy, as they will be king or queen one day," said Hutt, dressed in a suit and
hat emblazoned with Union Jacks.
NATURAL BIRTH
The royal baby was
also dominating headlines globally.
"You'd think it was the American
royal family producing this baby," said Robert Lacey, royal historian and
biographer.
Royal sources said Kate has planned a natural birth with
William, a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot, to be at her
side. The royal couple do not know the baby's sex.
The child will be
third in line to the throne regardless of gender behind grandfather Prince
Charles and father William after Britain and 15 other Commonwealth nations
agreed to change royal succession rules so males no longer take
precedence.
"Fundamentally all of them have agreed in writing to this,"
Cameron said. "It would not be a problem."
Royal officials have confirmed
the baby will be known as His or Her Highness Prince or Princess (name) of
Cambridge. The name may not be announced immediately - it took more than a week
for an announcement of William's name.
Bookmakers have a girl as the
favourite with preferred names Alexandra, Victoria, Charlotte and Diana, in
honour of William's mother, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. George is
the favourite boy's name followed by James.
The Queen will be among the
first to be informed of the arrival of the baby, who will be delivered by Marcus
Setchell, the queen's former gynaecologist.
After the birth, commentators
said Kate was expected to spend time at her parents' house in the village of
Bucklebury, about 50 miles (80 km) west of London, before eventually moving to
the Kensington Palace, William's childhood home.
Kate, whose ancestors
were coal miners, has become hugely popular and a fashion icon, with her attire
scrutinised and copied every time she steps out in public.
Scrutiny of
Princess Diana's life and her death while pursued by paparazzi instilled a deep
distaste for the media in William and he has done his best to shield his wife
from such attention.
Analysts said any economic impact from the royal
birth would be positive but limited, with no public holiday and purchases of
souvenirs or alcohol to toast the baby likely to be the main
boosts.
"Having said that there is a lot of international interest in the
royal baby with high foreign media coverage, which does help to advertise the UK
globally," said Howard Archer, economist from IHS Global Insight.
Not all
Britons, however, were giddy over the event.
The website of the Guardian
newspaper offered readers the option of clicking on a "Republican" prompt,
removing all references to the royal birth from its pages.
The Republic
movement said on its website that every child should be born equal.
"How
can that be when one child is born above all others, destined for high office
not because of merit or popular choice but because of their parents?" it
said.
উইলিয়ামের জন্ম ১৯৮২ সালে, তার বাবা চার্লসের জন্ম ১৯৪৮ সালে।তবে দাদা ও বাবাকে পেছনে ফেলে দুই দিনের মাথায় নাম পেল আট পাউন্ড ছয় আউন্স ওজনের জর্জ।
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nashir