Media frenzy

The announcement of a new royal baby has set the papers alight with stories including those that normally prefer to keep matters concerning royalty low key.

Ardent fans of the royals are delighted by the news and will mop up the titbits of gossip thrown at them. Others will be less interested and will moan at the constant stream of information about a child they care little about.

Speculation about a possible pregnancy started when the Duchess of Cambridge changed her hairstyle. Many were quick to point out that women often do this sort of thing when they are anticipating a life changing event and the Duke added fuel to this speculation when he gladly accepted the gift of a baby grow on one of their recent walkabouts.

Now the story is out and we all know that a royal baby is due sometime in September.

The laws of succession have been changed which means that, whatever sex the baby is, it will be third in line to the throne behind Charles and William. But what if the Duchess is expecting twins? In that case, the first of the twins to be born would take precedence. But then what if the birth is by caesarean section? In that case, it is up to the obstetrician to decide which baby is delivered first. But will he want to take that responsibility? That begs the question of who would take responsibility for making the choice. Would it be William, who’s expected,  like most modern fathers, to be present at the birth? Or, would the royal family revert to the odd practices where a government minister had to be present at the accouchement to act as an observer and ensure everything was above board?

I think we can anticipate a lot more on this story and many more in the coming months with a string of experts putting forward their views on every aspect of the royal pregnancy. By the time the due date comes, even the most ardent fan of the royals will be tired of all this. That is, until the first photos of the child hit the press, then we can expect a cacophony of cooing and awing to take over because I can guarantee, that this baby (or babies) will be the most beautiful ever born, not just to the family but to the whole nation.

Let’s just hope (unlike in the case of Harry to Charles), it bears a passing resemblance to William!