Royal baby due date: When will the Duchess of Cambridge give birth? Which names are the favourites? Where will it be born?
Speculation is mounting over when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third baby will be born.
Prince William and Kate are expecting their third child who will be a sibling to Prince George and Princess Charlotte next month.
Kensington Palace previously announced that the baby would be born in April 2018.
Here's what we know about the due date, favourite names and where it will be born.
When is it due?
Kate and William announced that they were expecting baby number three on September 4, 2017 but it was not clear how long she had been pregnant.
The announcement is believed to have been made earlier than planned after the Duchess suffered severe morning sickness and was forced to cancel a planned visit to a Children’s centre in North London.
Kate’s first two pregnancies were also announced before the 12-week mark because she was unwell with the extreme form of morning sickness hyperemesis gravidarum
In October 2017, Kensington Palace announced that baby was expected to arrive in April 2018.
Where will the baby be born?
The Duchess is expected to return to the private delivery suite at the Lindo wing of St Mary’s Hospital where she gave birth to her other two children.
The private wing of the NHS hospital charges £5215 for the first 24 hours if the baby is born naturally. If the baby is born via Caesarean section it costs £6745 for the night.
What are the potential baby names?
William Hill has predicted that the most likely names if the baby is a girl are Mary (3/1), Alice (6/1), Elizabeth (6/1) and Victoria (10/1).
Betway are also backing Alice with odds currently at 8/1.
If the baby is a boy William Hill estimate that Arthur (12/1), Albert (14/1) and James (16/1), will be popular choices.
Betway agree with two of these names, listing their picks as: Albert (10/1), James (10/1) and Arthur (11/1).
There is also speculation that the couple will name the baby after Prince William’s mum Diana.
Will the Duchess of Cambridge have a natural birth?
The Duchess gave birth to Prince George and Princess Charlotte naturally so it is anticipated that she will choose to have a natural delivery of her third baby as well.
Is the Duchess taking maternity leave?
Kate carried out her last Royal engagement before starting her maternity leave on Thursday.
With the birth of their previous children, both the Duke and Duchess took time off immediately after the children were born.
Following the birth of Princess Charlotte, the Duke took two weeks of statutory leave from his job as an air ambulance pilot and the Duchess took maternity leave from her official royal duties.
After the birth of both children the Duchess maintained a light work load for several weeks.
How will the news of the birth be announced?
After the news of the birth is broken to the family, the royal communications team will inform media of the sex, weight and timing of the birth.
The Royal Palace Twitter and Instagram accounts will also post about the birth before a paper announcement is placed outside Buckingham Palace on an easel.
