Duchess of Cambridge to have third child at private Lindo Wing as barriers are installed and parking suspended outside hospital

1/64
Robert Jobson9 April 2018

The Duchess of Cambridge will have her third baby in the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital, it has been confirmed.

Preparations were being made today at the private wing at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, for the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third child.

Prince William and Kate have chosen not to find out if they’re having a boy or girl.

Kate's first two children, Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two, were born in the exclusive unit in Paddington, central London, as were their father, the Duke of Cambridge, and uncle, Prince Harry.

Today barriers were put in place and parking suspension signs were put up outside the private maternity ward at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, Central London.

Barriers being installed outside St Mary's Hospital Lindo Wing
Alex Lentati

A separate area for the world's media has also been created to accommodate the television crews, journalists and photographers that are expected to gather once she goes into labour later this month.

William made his public debut with the Prince and Princess of Wales outside the hospital, wrapped in a white blanket and carried in Diana's arms, with Charles by her side.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Lindo wing for the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015
Jeremy Selwyn

Only a handful of midwives and medical staff, led by consultant obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston, were in the delivery room to supervise Charlotte's birth but waiting in the wings were more than a dozen experts in case of emergencies.

Theatre staff were on stand-by along with a lab technician,

replacement anaesthetists and paediatricians - 23 in total - from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs St Mary's Hospital.

Princess Charlotte makes debut on Buckingham Palace balcony

1/6

In the Lindo Wing, Kate will again be given a bespoke experience akin to a five-star hotel with en suite rooms available "providing a modern, homely environment in which to start your new or expanded family life", the unit's website states.

Deluxe rooms and suites are also available.

The Duke and Duchess with Prince George in 2013
Jeremy Selwyn

The latest price list, from July last year to March, states that a standard room package, including a one-night stay, costs from £5,900, while a deluxe package is £6,275 - with an extra night priced at more than £1,000 for both options.

The price of a suite of two rooms, with one used as a living room, is available on application but five years ago it cost £6,265 for a one-night stay.

With standard and deluxe care packages rising by around £1,000 since the birth of their first child, William and Kate could spend close to £7,500 for a suite.

Each room has a satellite TV with major international channels, radio, bedside phone, fridge, free wi-fi and a choice of daily newspapers.

All meals are freshly prepared in a dedicated kitchen and there is even an afternoon tea service, for parents to celebrate their new arrival, the website suggests.

The Lindo Wing's internationally renowned obstetric unit caters for complex pregnancies and deliveries as well as multiple births and it has the benefit of being based in an NHS hospital if further complications arise, including its facilities for premature babies in the Winnicott Baby Unit.

In 2006, William visited the refurbished NHS neonatal unit at St Mary's, cradling two tiny premature babies - one weighing just 5lb.

At the forefront of specialist care for premature babies, the Winnicott looks after some of the most critically ill newborns in the UK.

It treats around 350 sick and premature babies from across the country each year, caring for up to 18 infants at a time.

Diana returned to St Mary's in April 1997 - four months before her death in a Paris car crash - when she toured the paediatric intensive care unit, meeting poorly youngsters.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in