The Kate Middleton labor has begun as the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to the maternity ward at St. Mary’s Hospital, according to a late breaking news tweet Sunday night from the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The tweet launched at close to midnight, though it was unclear at the time how closely the news preceded it.
Also on Sunday night, a live Twitter feed was started tracking the Royal labor at NewsBreaker.
(Let’s hope, for Kate’s sake, that it doesn’t turn in to a long one.)
“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted this morning to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labour. The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge,” the palace said in a statement.
Royal sources stated that Kate Middleton and Prince William elected to forgo knowledge of the baby’s sex, but regardless of whether the child is a boy or girl, ABC News noted, the child will be third in line for the throne behind Prince Charles (grandfather) and Prince William.
Parliament changed a 300-year-old law allowing the child to be heir regardless of sex. Even if the couple later have a son, a daughter would still be first in line for the throne.
Earlier Sunday, The Inquisitr posed the question: is Kate overdue or were we duped?
(Hey, don’t blame us, we had good reason.)
There were several due dates floating around when it came to the royal baby and when we could expect the Kate Middleton labor to occur.
One was July 11. The other, July 13. The Palace had not offered an exact due date, but the Telegraph newspaper reported on Friday that “well placed sources” said the due date was actually July 19, so that would make Kate just a few days overdue.
#BREAKING : Kate Middleton admitted to maternity ward: official
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) July 22, 2013
And with the recent Royal Baby Hoax in which two lookalikes marched into St. Mary’s Hospital, fooling people on the scene and pretty much half the world, that only added fuel to the fires of speculation and anticipation.
Needless to say, you can’t blame us — or the rest of the world — for getting a bit antsy. Here’s a bit more on the Royal Baby Watch from ABC News:
US News | Royal Baby | More ABC News Videos
Well, everyone: is this the big moment? With the Kate Middleton labor underway, will today be the day we get a new royal heir? And while you’re at it, care to venture a guess as to the sex of the baby?
[Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com ]