The world’s media is on high alert for dispatches from Kensington Palace, the rails outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s in Paddington have had a fresh coat of paint and dedicated royal fans are already setting up camp outside, presumably to ensure a ringside spot for the inevitable hospital steps photo call. Royal baby watch is now in full swing, with the Duchess of Cambridge expected to give birth to her third child in the next week or so (her due date is inadvertently patriotic according to some reports, apparently falling on St George’s Day).
As with the birth of the new baby's siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, we'll first learn of William and Kate's new arrival through the royal family's social media accounts (time to turn on notifications?) before the traditional paper announcement is placed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace, confirming the baby's sex and the time of birth, but not the name. It'll take a simple format, most likely along the lines of 'The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son or daughter,' and we'll have to wait a little longer to learn what the new Prince or Princess will be called.
Before the official naming announcement, there'll be the usual waving for the photographers on the Lindo Wing steps, with the baby wrapped up in a GH Hurt & Sons blanket, following a tradition that's nearly 70 years old. Plus, there's the potential for guest appearances from George and Charlotte, and the inevitable discussion of how Kate's hair looks so glossy just days after giving birth (spoiler alert: she'll have her hairdresser Amanda Cook-Tucker on call).
As the countdown to the arrival of Kate and William's third child steps up a gear or three, we've looked back at royal babies past and present, from the Queen herself to Princess Charlotte in 2015, in the gallery below...
All The Royal Babies - Grazia
1 of 19Queen Elizabeth II
Born: 21st April 1926When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York was born in 1926, it was not expected that she would ever become Queen: she was third in line to the throne, only becoming heir presumptive after the abdication of her uncle.
2 of 19Princess Margaret
Born: 21st August 1930Margaret was born at Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of her mother's family, and the official registration of her birth was delayed a while to prevent her being listed 13th in the parish register.
3 of 19Prince Charles
Born: 14th November 1948The first child of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, Charles was born at Buckingham Palace.
4 of 19Princess Anne
Born: 15th August 1950The Queen's only daughter was born at Clarence House; like her elder brother Charles, she was baptised in the music room at Buckingham Palace.
5 of 19Prince Andrew
Born: 19th February 1960Prince Andrew was the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for nearly 100 years (since 1857, when Queen Victoria gave birth to her youngest, Princess Beatrice).
6 of 19David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowden
Born: 3rd November 1961Princess Margaret's eldest son, who was styled as Viscount Linley until the death of his father last year, can count the Queen among his godparents.
7 of 19Prince Edward
Born: 10th March 1964At the time of his birth, Prince Edward was third in line to the throne: as the Queen's third son, the succession laws dictated that he would come ahead of his older sister, Princess Anne. These rules have since been changed.
8 of 19Lady Sarah Chatto
Born: 1st May 1964The daughter of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones was born at Kensington Palace, and later christened at the private chapel in Buckingham Palace.
9 of 19Peter Phillips
Born: 15th November 1977Like Princes William, Harry and Prince George and Princess Charlotte, Peter Phillips (son of Princess Anne and her first husband) was delivered in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington.
10 of 19Zara Phillips
Born: 15th May 1981Like her older brother, Zara was born at the Lindo Wing; her name was reportedly a suggestion from her uncle, Prince Charles.
11 of 19Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Born: 21st June 1982William's name was not announced to the public until a week after his birth. He was baptised at Buckingham Palace on 4th August, the birthday of his great-grandmother.
12 of 19Prince Harry
Born: 15th September 1984Officially styled Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Harry was born at the Lindo Wing like his brother and cousins.
13 of 19Princess Beatrice of York
Born: 8th August 1988Beatrice, the Queen's fifth grandchild, was born at the Portland Hospital for Women and Children in London's West End.
14 of 19Princess Eugenie of York
Born: 23rd March 1990Like her sister, Eugenie was born at the Portland Hospital, and was baptised at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate.
15 of 19Lady Louise Windsor
Born: 8th November 2003As a male-line grandchild of a monarch, Lady Louise would be styled as Princess, but upon the occasion of her father's marriage, a Buckingham Palace statement confirmed his children would be styled as the offspring of an earl.
16 of 19James, Viscount Severn
Born: 17th December 2007For the same reason, Prince Edward's son James is styled as Viscount Severn, one of his father's subsidiary titles, rather than as a Prince.
17 of 19Prince George
Born: 22nd July 2013Prince George was delivered at the Lindo Wing by the Queen's former gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell. His birth marks the second time that three generations of direct heirs to the throne have been alive at the same time.
18 of 19Princess Charlotte
Born: 2nd May 2015Changes to succession laws made before the birth of Prince George ensure that Princess Charlotte cannot be overtaken in succession by any younger brothers.
19 of 19Prince Louis
Born: 23rd April 2018 Prince Louis was delivered in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital, making him the third and youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and fifth in line of succession to the British throne.