Calm before the storm! Cameras and fans galore are lining up outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London for the arrival of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s second royal baby, which is expected any day now. But inside, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal that staff are trying to keep things as normal as possible for their other patients.
“It’s all very British — keep calm and all that. I think if Kate were to walk in, the majority of people there would pretend they didn’t notice her. No one wants to add to the hysteria outside,” an anonymous Lindo Wing patient tells Us. “It’s business as usual for the doctors, nurses, and midwives working there. They’re used to important people coming in. They’re all doing a great job of ignoring the fact there’s a slight odd situation going on outside.”
Indeed, but there are a few obvious changes to the “calming” environment. For one, security is “quietly present in the building,” the insider tells Us. Some of the TV crews have also overflowed from the streets and are positioned at the front reception desk and coffee shop of the hospital. “The real patients all look a bit bewildered,” the source says.
In addition, mums-to-be are also catching the royal bug. Just this week, two pregnant women joked (but not really!) that they don’t want to give birth until Middleton arrives. “It’s a beautiful private hospital. Pale polished wood floors, comfortable leather sofas for patients, freshly painted cream walls,” the source adds. “It’s a great place to have a baby.”
As previously reported, Middleton’s hospital suite — at $9,650 a night(!) — will include a wine list, daily newspapers, and a private chef. The royal couple will also receive a 10 percent “loyalty discount” for using the facility once before during Prince George’s birth in July 2013. (Prince Charles, William, and Harry were also born there.)
“Once you’ve had your baby they will take the baby for the night and go put him in the nursery and you can have a full-on sort of four-course meal, with champagne and candles and everything like that,” former patient Georgie McGrath recently told Us. “It was a joy, a pleasure. Life was very, very easy.”
And seems like nothing much will change this time. “[It’s] absolute serenity and peace,” the insider adds to Us. “You can’t hear any of the noise or sense any of the madness outside.”
Stay with Us Weekly for all the latest updates on Royal Baby number two, including an exclusive livestream of the scene outside St. Mary’s Hospital once the Duchess goes into labor, frequent updates from royal experts and Us staffers in London, the big baby reveal and much more!
