As of today, 9 April, parking restrictions are in place outside of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge will give birth to her third child.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first two children, Prince George in July 2013 and Princess Charlotte in May 2016 were also born at the same location.
The parking ban runs until 30 April with rumours that the Duchess of Cambridge is due on St George’s Day, 23 April.
The new baby will become 5th-in-line to the throne, pushing Prince Harry back further in the line of succession.
It is understood that the Duke and Duchess do not know the gender of the baby preferring to keep it a surprise. However, bookmakers make a baby girl the favourite with the name Mary topping the names list.
“We can’t quite put our finger on the link between Mary and the North West,” said Jessica Bridges, who works for Ladbrokes, a gambling company. “But the overwhelming support means we have a new favourite in the royal baby name market.”
“Punters are convinced the Duke and Duchess are expecting another little girl, and obviously it would be a lovely touch to honour Her Majesty’s grandmother, but it will be interesting to see if any boys’ names are backed over the coming weeks before the birth.”
The next few weeks will be busy in the royal world. From the 16-20 April, London and Windsor will play host to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.
These meetings hold significant importance as it will be the last meetings The Queen will be able to attend in person as she no longer travels overseas. Prince Harry is also expected to take on a formal role with the youth forum, and the discussion will take place if Prince Charles will succeed his mother as Head of the Commonwealth.
The title of Head of the Commonwealth is not hereditary and is not necessarily a guaranteed position for the next in line to the throne of the United Kingdom.
