Royal Baby Hysteria Grips America's TV Networks as Broadcasters Gather Outside Hospital and Buckingham Palace to Welcome New Arrival
- Duchess was admitted to St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, shortly after 6am this morning with William at her side
- Crowds have gathered outside Buckingham Palace where the birth will formally be announced
- U.S. media has also descended on the city, with the major networks sending out top talent to cover the latest
- Coverage blanketed stations on Monday morning - although there were still few details to share
By Daily Mail UK, 22 July 2013
Final appearance: The Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with her husband Prince William as she is seen in public for the last time before the birth
Royal baby hysteria has gripped the world and U.S. television networks as the country's top broadcasters report from London on the new arrival - and after weeks of waiting in the blistering heat, they finally have something to say.
Monarchists and reporters have waited around the clock for the Duchess of Cambridge to give birth - and on Monday, it emerged that she is finally in the early stages of labor. She arrived in a car just before 6am this morning and was taken into the maternity ward via a back door, eluding journalists.
Royal fans: A small crowd gathers outside the hospital over the weekend as royal fans wait for Kate to be admitted to the hospital
As excitement grows among royal fans gathering outside the hospital, television camera crews from across the U.S. - including all of the major networks - are also swarming outside the private Lindo Wing at St Mary's in Paddington, west London.
'I've been here all week and this is a scene I've never seen before,' Today show host Natalie Morales said outside the hospital on Monday morning as she said that a birth announcement is hopefully imminent. 'There's a lot of excitement. It's hard to move around... Everyone is just watching that door.'
The relief comes after Morales was pictured passing the time by eating fish and chips, drinking ale, reading British literature and knitting a gift for the baby as she waited for news of his or her birth last week.
Coverage of the birth blanketed the main networks on Monday morning, with every one sending out their top hosts and correspondents to provide viewers with the latest news of the royal baby.
Time to roll: Members of the world's media gather outside The Lindo Wing after days of waiting for the Duchess of Cambridge to be admitted
Excitement building: Members of the public gather outside St Mary's Hospital this morning as the Duchess of Cambridge goes into labour
Royal excitement: Tourists take photographs of the front of the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital as it emerged that the Duchess has gone into labour
Outside the hospital, reporter Morales was joined on NBC by medical editor Dr Nancy Snyderman, who described the procedure for a woman in labor.
ABC correspondent Amy Robach added on Good Morning America on Monday: 'After weeks of waiting here outside the hospital, it is fair to say that the Lindo wing is no longer in limbo... For so long, I have these tired long faces, there are nothing but smiles as far as the eye can see. Despite this 90 degree heat, everyone is full of excitement for this baby.'
As well as Morales, Nightly News correspondent Kate Snow has also been sent by NBC to London to cover the birth. The network also has Keir Simmons, Michelle Kosinski and Martin Fletcher in London.
ABC News sent Good Morning America weekend anchor Bianna Golodryga and correspondent Lama Hasan to London, with Amy Robach to follow. The network is also including Dr. Jennifer Ashton, its senior medical correspondent, in special reports.
Fox News anchor Martha McCallum is anchoring its coverage, while CNN's Kate Bolduan is overseeing New Day's interviews with relatives and friends close to the royals.
On Monday, there was a large police presence around the hospital as royal fans gathered alongside the media outside the hospital, and well-wishers from around the globe began swarming outside Buckingham Palace.
A crowd builds: A group of police officers stand outside the hospital this morning as the international media and members of the public gather
Excitement grows: Royal watches - and journalists - have been waiting outside the hospital round the clock for days
Tourists armed with cameras peered hopefully through the Palace gates on the off-chance of spotting the easel, due to be placed on the forecourt detailing confirmation of the birth.
Matthew and Donna Harold from Michigan said they had been asked to stock up on commemorative souvenirs for friends back home during their holiday in London.
'The royal baby is front-page news every day back in the States at the moment, there is a lot of excitement,' said Mrs Harold. 'I'm sure the Duchess will be pleased, as we are, that the wait looks to be finally over - particularly because being pregnant in this heat must be very hard.'
'Our holiday was booked months ago, so we did not expect to be over here while the baby was happening, so we have been told to bring back as many newspapers and souvenirs with the baby on as possible.
Some royal correspondents have been camped out in front of the Duchess of Cambridge's hospital of choice for days and even weeks with very little news to dine out on.
Before news of her going into labor, Kate’s due date was widely reported as July 13, and the world's press stationed outside the Lindo Wing ever since to ensure they didn't miss the new arrival. But as the days passed, the U.S. reporters implored with the royals.
Lady in waiting: Natalie Morales from NBC broadcasts from opposite St. Mary's Hospital's Lindo Wing in London on Friday as the world waited for Kate to go into labor
Excitement: Amy Robach, reporting for ABC on Monday, said finally the crowd is smiling after weeks of waiting outside the Lindo Wing of the hospital
Relief: NBC host Natalie Morales grins as she reveals that the Duchess of Cambridge has finally gone into birth after weeks of waiting for the media and Monarchists
Passing the time: Natalie Morales reads Charles Dicken's 'Great Expectations' outside the Lindo wing and knits a present for the baby as she waits for news
Getting in the spirit: She is also pictured drinking ale and snacking on fish and chips as the international media waits outside the hospital
'Have this baby already, Kate, please?' pleaded Morales on NBC's Today on Friday - though she didn't look too miserable as she partook of fish and chips and a pint of bitter from her chair outside the hospital.
‘I think it may be even bigger news at home than it is here,’ she said, adding: ‘Once Kate goes into labor, we’ll be sleeping right here.
Morales may have a point: 'Americans are obsessed with the birth of the royal baby,' pop culture expert Katrina Szish told Today.
'Not only is it not just a phenomena we don't have in the United States but it really is a fairytale come true,' she said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the news that Kate had gone into labor was 'very exciting' for the whole country.
David Cameron told the BBC: 'Best wishes to them, a very exciting occasion and the whole country is excited with them. So everyone's hoping for the best.'
Pack: Police and the international media seen outside the Lindo Wing waiting for news about Kate, 31, who had gone into labour
Where's William? A cameraman with a Prince William mask on the back of his head as he waits for news outside the Lindo Wing
Press pack: The Lindo Wing where the media is waiting for news about the impending royal birth
On guard: Four police officers stand outside the Lindo Wing. The officers were checking the credentials of everyone who tried to enter the building
Royal arrival: The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in a people carrier with blacked out windows
Speaking later on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour he said had been 'pretty involved' in the birth of his children. 'It's up to every family to work out how they want to do these things,' he added.
'I can't claim any role in this one, I'm afraid, except one small thing - well, it's a big thing actually - which is to get all of the heads of the realms over which our Queen is Queen, to agree that whatever the sex of the baby that Will and Kate have, if it's a girl, it will be our Queen.'
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, tweeted: 'My thoughts and prayers are with Kate and the whole family on this enormously special day.'
Happy news: A royal fan wakes up outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital this morning as the Duchess of Cambridhe goes into labour
World is ready: The media gather outside the Lindo Wing this morning as the wait ends for royal fans who have been camped outside the hospital for weeks
Media gathering: The press broadcast from outside the hospital this morning as the news breaks that the Duchess of Cambridge has gone into labour
Other tourists shared their excitement. In Australia, a set of commemorative baby stamps has already been commissioned to mark the royal birth.
Lynette Traynor, a postal worker from Melbourne who is on holiday in London, said: 'We love everything to do with the royals, so the news is full of it. We have a set of baby stamps ready to go, as soon as it has been confirmed. We can't get enough of it.'
Another visitor to the Palace, 26-year-old German Veronika Schwarz, said she thought there was greater excitement outside of England.
'We don't have anything like the Royal Family in Germany, so we are all getting quite carried away with this. My friends in London seem like they just want the baby to come out now, I think they are tired of waiting.'
Pascal Faure, a maintenance contractor originally from South Africa, stopped to snap a picture on his phone for friends at home and in Australia.
'It's part of their heritage, I guess, their culture,' said Faure, who claimed his own tenuous royal connection: 'Apparently my third cousin once removed is Chelsy' Davy, Prince Harry's former girlfriend.
Crowd gathers: A large number of people gather outside Buckingham Palace this morning where it will be announced first that Kate has given birth
He also had more insight than most into the 5,000-pound ($8,000) -a-night private wing where the Duchess of Cambridge is giving birth. He fixed the air-conditioning there last week — a good thing, too, as Monday is scheduled to be the hottest day of the year in London.
'If the air-con stops working, I'll probably be the one to go in,' he said.
Terry Hutt, 78, has been camped on a wooden bench opposite the street entrance to the Lindo Wing, St Mary’s private maternity unit for the last 12 days.
The retired carpenter from Cambridge has been a familiar fixture at major royal events for years, always dressed head to toe in Union Jack clothes beneath a Union Jack umbrella hat. The Royal Family, he says, know him as ‘The Umbrella Man’.
Terry has been outside for so long that, a few days ago, he felt compelled to take himself back to Cambridge for a bath and a change of clothes.
The former soldier, who served with the Royal Ordnance Corps, is sleeping on a bench across the road from the Lindo Wing.
Royal baby: Wait is finally over for royal watchers
'I have the best royal bed in town,' he said. 'I have lost my voice with all the excitement. At night we're watching the hospital in two-hour stints, like the Army. The health of the baby, and Kate, is the only important element.'
Mr Hutt is wearing a Union flag suit and tie which a Dutch firm donated to him.
'My trousers are 10 inches too long,' he said, adding that his wife of 51 years, Joy, thinks he is a bit mad.
The septuagenarian has been joined outside the hospital by 'Diana Superfan' John Loughrey, 58, from Wandsworth, south-west London.
'I'm so excited I'm like a washing machine - I'm on full spin,' he said. 'I can't stop spinning. I've been here for seven days and heard gossip overnight that Kate was here. If it's a girl I think Diana will be the middle name.
'If it's a boy I believe Charles will be the name, because he has nurtured William and Harry.'
Carly Gargett, 31, an event manager from Sydney, Australia, who lives in London, was also outside the hospital this morning.
Press pack: A television crew film outside Buckingham Palace after Kate was rushed to St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, where she has gone into labour
International event: A police officer moves on a media crew from outside the gates of Buckingham Palace this morning as the world's media gather in London
Excitement building: Media crews from Sky News work outside Buckingham Palace today after it emerged the Duchess had gone into labour
The crowd is likely to grow throughout the day as people try and get a first glimpse of the royal baby.
Miss Gargett said: 'I have been doing live Facebook updates to all my friends back in Australia.
'They were texting me this morning saying "What's going on?" because I'd missed it happening so early. So I came down to the site on my way to work. I am a real royalist. I was at the Coronation Festival last week and was hoping she would go into labour then.'
Miss Gargett said she thinks the Duchess would love to have a girl.
'Every girl would like a girl princess,' she said. 'I'm picking Charlotte as the name - I have a feeling in my waters.'
The announcement that the Duchess was in labour caused a flurry of activity on Twitter - while hundreds of mothers logged on to parenting website Mumsnet to give their opinions on the news.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeted: 'Keep Calm...and Carry On. ŁKate' and added: 'My money's on an Australian cricket birth - all out by tea.'
Press pack: The world's media gather outside St Mary's Hospital after it emerged that the Duchess has gone into labour
Arrival: The scene outside the hospital as the world waits for the latest news. Kate was whisked in via a back door shortly after 6am
One Mumsnet user, writing under the name Iwaswatchingthat, posted: 'I feel sorry for her. I really did not want anyone except my mum and dh (dear husband) to know I was in labour and just wanted to get on with it.
'It must be awful to think that the world is all imagining her huffing and puffing.'
FrankellyMyDearIDontGiveADamn wrote: 'Glad it's been confirmed. Soppy cow that I am I've just had a little cry over the news. In my defence I'm 8 weeks pregnant with my first and my emotions are all over the place!'
Another user, Gobbolinothewitchscat, added: 'Seriously, it's a shame she's in the early stages. Best to stay at home as long as poss.'
Pat and Norman Bate took two months to get to St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington because the retired fruit and vegetable merchants travelled from their Liverpool home to London via Britain’s canal network at four mph.
Their 55ft canal boat Ellie May, is moored just behind the royal hospital, filled with bagfuls of cards and presents for the baby, and its cabin draped with bunting.
‘As soon as we heard Kate was pregnant, I said that we should aim to get there for the birth, so we left home on May 1,’ Mrs Bate said. 'And we hope to be here as long as it takes. After all, we’re not paying for a hotel.’
Excitement: Reporters stand waiting outside the Lindo Wing, waiting for further news about the Duchess of Cambridge's condition
Crowd gathers: Onlookers come and stand outside the hospital - and look at the media scrum - after it emerged that the Duchess had gone into labour
Royal baby fever: Members of the public take photographs of the hospital as a crowd gathers following the news that the Duchess had gone into labour
Royal fans: Tourists look at the gathering media scrum outside the hospital this morning
As the wait went on, the camera crews were reduced to filming each other as reporters from around the world struggled to find something worthwhile to report
Dedication: Another royal supporter John Loughrey poses with his royal baby memorabilia as he waits across the street from the hospital's exclusive Lindo Wing
In for the long haul: Royal supporter John Loughrey looks out from his tent outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital
Little prince - or princess? Royal supporters have both balloons with them as they wait outside the hospital ahead of the birth
Big fan: Margaret Tyler clutches her royal baby balloons outside the hospital as the world waits for the royal baby
All of a flutter: Bets were taken on the sex and name of the Royal baby
END
The new Prince was born at 16.24 GMT and weighed 8lb 6oz
.