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| Duchess of Cambridge in labour: expectant media wait outside St Mary's | Duchess of Cambridge in labour: expectant media wait outside St Mary's |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Before the news on Monday morning that the Duchess of Cambridge was in labour, the world's media were preparing to spend a fourth week outside the hospital where she will give birth. | |
| Dozens of photographers were present, their equipment piled high on metal ladders next to camera crews from all corners of the globe, a battery of lenses all trained on the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital in central London. | Dozens of photographers were present, their equipment piled high on metal ladders next to camera crews from all corners of the globe, a battery of lenses all trained on the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital in central London. |
| International interest has been great. US networks jostled with their Australian, German, French and Japanese counterparts inside the narrow press enclosure. | International interest has been great. US networks jostled with their Australian, German, French and Japanese counterparts inside the narrow press enclosure. |
| "We can't get a good position for the entrance, but we want to get the media in the picture and express how big this is," said Charlie Yoshiike, a cameraman for Japan's TV Asahi. He said the birth was a big deal in Japan. "We have a Japanese royal family and Princess Diana was iconic. We love the western culture." | "We can't get a good position for the entrance, but we want to get the media in the picture and express how big this is," said Charlie Yoshiike, a cameraman for Japan's TV Asahi. He said the birth was a big deal in Japan. "We have a Japanese royal family and Princess Diana was iconic. We love the western culture." |
| Journalists have been keeping vigil outside the hospital wing since the end of June, their numbers swelling by the hour. In between filling the airwaves with anticipation – "We're expecting the duchess to arrive any minute!" – there was little to do besides get sunburnt. | Journalists have been keeping vigil outside the hospital wing since the end of June, their numbers swelling by the hour. In between filling the airwaves with anticipation – "We're expecting the duchess to arrive any minute!" – there was little to do besides get sunburnt. |
| Enterprising hacks started a sweepstake on the name of the child, whether he or she will be born in the morning or afternoon, and on the due date. A princely sum of £160 is in the kitty for the lucky winner. | Enterprising hacks started a sweepstake on the name of the child, whether he or she will be born in the morning or afternoon, and on the due date. A princely sum of £160 is in the kitty for the lucky winner. |
| A ripple of excitement swept through the press pack when eight protection officers carried out a security sweep of the area, removing bins and checking under shrubbery last Thursday. Alas, there was still no Duke or Duchess of Cambridge. | A ripple of excitement swept through the press pack when eight protection officers carried out a security sweep of the area, removing bins and checking under shrubbery last Thursday. Alas, there was still no Duke or Duchess of Cambridge. |
| Steve Padwick, a cameraman for Associated Press's television news channel, parked himself outside the hospital just before midnight on 30 June, sleeping on a bench until the next morning. "It's been quiet until these past couple of days," he said. "Now there's a different atmosphere. The outside broadcasting trucks have started laying their cables, the security is being stepped up by the day and you can feel the excitement building." | Steve Padwick, a cameraman for Associated Press's television news channel, parked himself outside the hospital just before midnight on 30 June, sleeping on a bench until the next morning. "It's been quiet until these past couple of days," he said. "Now there's a different atmosphere. The outside broadcasting trucks have started laying their cables, the security is being stepped up by the day and you can feel the excitement building." |
| American networks, including CNN and NBC, have claimed prime spots behind the crush barrier ready for the shot of the royal couple with their newborn. There are no plans for Piers Morgan to return to London for CNN, as he did for the couple's wedding in 2011, but America's love affair with the royal family is undimmed. | American networks, including CNN and NBC, have claimed prime spots behind the crush barrier ready for the shot of the royal couple with their newborn. There are no plans for Piers Morgan to return to London for CNN, as he did for the couple's wedding in 2011, but America's love affair with the royal family is undimmed. |
| "The ratings go through the roof every time we show them," said a sound technician working from dusk till dawn for one of the leading US networks. Sarah Lyall, the New York Times correspondent in London, said her newspaper was treating the baby as a big story. | "The ratings go through the roof every time we show them," said a sound technician working from dusk till dawn for one of the leading US networks. Sarah Lyall, the New York Times correspondent in London, said her newspaper was treating the baby as a big story. |
| "For whatever reason, America's appetite for even unexciting royal-related news is endless. And this particular story counts as super-exciting," she said. "The endless aristocratic details – what title will the baby have? Does Kate get a whole floor in the hospital to herself? How will the Queen be informed? What is the protocol for directly addressing a royal baby? Will Australia give Kate and William a kangaroo-themed congratulatory gift? – everyone loves those." | "For whatever reason, America's appetite for even unexciting royal-related news is endless. And this particular story counts as super-exciting," she said. "The endless aristocratic details – what title will the baby have? Does Kate get a whole floor in the hospital to herself? How will the Queen be informed? What is the protocol for directly addressing a royal baby? Will Australia give Kate and William a kangaroo-themed congratulatory gift? – everyone loves those." |
| The massed ranks of press are expected to far exceed the 100 or so who staked out King Edward VII's hospital in December, when the duchess was treated for acute morning sickness. AP has more than 40 staffers beaming pictures from St Mary's hospital, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and the Middletons' family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire. | The massed ranks of press are expected to far exceed the 100 or so who staked out King Edward VII's hospital in December, when the duchess was treated for acute morning sickness. AP has more than 40 staffers beaming pictures from St Mary's hospital, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and the Middletons' family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire. |
| Luckily for the cameras, there is no shortage of theatre in the formal announcement of the birth. A royal courtier will emerge from the steps of St Mary's hospital carrying the royal proclamation, before beginning the short journey from Paddington to Buckingham Palace – every turn beamed to the world from the Sky News helicopter. | Luckily for the cameras, there is no shortage of theatre in the formal announcement of the birth. A royal courtier will emerge from the steps of St Mary's hospital carrying the royal proclamation, before beginning the short journey from Paddington to Buckingham Palace – every turn beamed to the world from the Sky News helicopter. |
| The proclamation will then be placed on an easel before hundreds of spectators and journalists and, as is the modern way, tweeted by royal aides. "Especially in the digital age, it's nice to do it in a traditional way with have a nod to the history," a St James's Palace source said. | The proclamation will then be placed on an easel before hundreds of spectators and journalists and, as is the modern way, tweeted by royal aides. "Especially in the digital age, it's nice to do it in a traditional way with have a nod to the history," a St James's Palace source said. |
| A spokesman for the duke and duchess said he recognised there would be "vast interest" in the newborn Prince or Princess of Cambridge but appealed for some deference and called for the young family to have time for a "deeply personal and private moment". | A spokesman for the duke and duchess said he recognised there would be "vast interest" in the newborn Prince or Princess of Cambridge but appealed for some deference and called for the young family to have time for a "deeply personal and private moment". |
| "We would appeal to all members of the media for an appropriate degree of sensitivity, dignity and privacy in their reporting," he said. | "We would appeal to all members of the media for an appropriate degree of sensitivity, dignity and privacy in their reporting," he said. |
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