Duchess of Cambridge is in labour with the third royal baby

It's all systems go for the future King and Queen...

It's going to be a busy Monday for the Duchess of Cambridge, who was admitted into hospital this morning and is in the early stages of labour.

The news was announced first on the Kensington Palace Twitter account.

The 36-year- old has been admitted to the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, central London – the same hospital where she gave birth to Prince George and Princess Charlotte – and no doubt, Prince William is by her side.

It is understood that the Duke and Duchess do not know the sex of the baby, but the bookies are leaning towards another girl.

The couple announced they were expecting baby number three last September. Unfortunately, like her two previous pregnancies, they had to go public with the news before she had reached the 12-week stage because she was suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness.

What was Kate Middleton's due date?

Although no specific date was officially given, royal reporters have long been speculating that Catherine would give birth around the 23rd April. How right they were!

Speculation continued to mount when it was reported that the Duchess had returned to London, following a pre-baby period of relaxation, staying between her Norfolk home, Amner Hall, and her parent's home in Bucklebury.

Fans have been excitedly gathering at the Lindo Wing for days now, where preparations including barriers and parking restrictions, have been put in place for the arrival of the royal baby.

Kensington Palace previously confirmed that the baby would be born in April 2018 some months ago. In an announcement on their Twitter page, it was revealed, 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in April 2018.'

Back in July, the Duchess actually hinted at further royal pregnancies. When on an engagement in Poland with William, she was presented with a toy specifically for a newborn. And given that she had no newborn babies, she commented to William, "We'll just have to have more babies then!"

She then gave her husband a cheeky smile - so might she have known then that they were expecting?

Royal baby names: what might the royal baby's name be?

So what might the third royal baby be called? As with any huge royal baby announcement, bookies have been taking bets on what the Duke and Duchess might name their newborn child.

It seems that a lot of the top choices are already popular British royal baby names. Catherine and William have already proven that they're keen to stick to tradition royal baby names, with George and Charlotte already much-used within the history of the family.

People are already hedging their bets with Alice, the favourite bet for the royal baby name at 7/1. It would be an apt choice given royal family history, the name of one of Queen Victoria's daughters, and also of the Duke of Edinburgh's mother.

Arthur is also looking to be a solid choice for a boy. And Victoria for a girl is the the next most popular option, at 10/1. Alexander and Alexandra are a close third at 12/1. If the baby is a boy, it could also be named after Uncle Harry, as the odds on his official name, Henry, stand at 10/1.

The list of potential royal baby names

So what other names might the Catherine and William give their next royal baby?

Boys:

• Philip
• Edward
• Henry
• Richard
• Albert
• Arthur
• James

Girls:

• Margaret
• Elizabeth
• Diana
• Alice
• Anne
• Alexandra
• Mary

What do you think of these names for the royal baby?

People have also already begun speculating if this will be the final addition to the Cambridge family too. Given that William is one of just two siblings, and Catherine is one of three, could a third baby be the perfect final child for the Duke and Duchess?

The Queen herself happily welcomed four children, although she was just one of two children born to George VI and Queen Elizabeth. And it seems that the Queen could well be the exception to the rule, as all of her children, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, Prince Charles, and Prince Edward, have all had two children.

So could William and Catherine be following in the monarch's footsteps with a big family?

The happy news comes just months after the family made the move back down to London, in order to pick up more royal duties. The news of a third baby for the Cambridges also means that current fifth-in-line to the throne Prince Harry will be pushed further down the line of succession. The Duke and Duchess's third child will, when born, become the fifth in line to the crown instead.

The third royal baby: the backstory...

It was September 2017 when it was revealed that the Duchess of Cambridge, commonly known as Kate Middleton, was expecting her third baby with Prince William.

Kensington Palace officially announced on Monday the 4th of September 2017 that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child. While the news may have come as a surprise to many, it will not have been a shock to the bookies, who reportedly stopped taking bets on a third royal baby months before, because they felt it so likely.

The royal baby news was made public in a very modern way, on the Kensington Palace Twitter account. The tweet read, 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child.'

Catherine was due to attend an event at the Hornsey Road Children's Centre in London shortly after the announcement was made, but sadly was forced to cancel as she was admitted to hospital earlier that same day.

Kensington Palace revealed that she was once again suffering Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a severe morning sickness condition. Catherine had also experienced the condition when pregnant with Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

(Royal baby: The Duchess when pregnant with Princess Charlotte in April 2015)

The full statement from Kensington Palace read, 'Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.

'As with her previous two pregnancies, the Duchess of suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer carry out her planned engagement at the Hornsey Road Children's Centre in London today. The Duchess is being cared for at Kensington Palace.'