WATCH LIVE: Britain's royal baby watch
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is in the hospital in labor

Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, is at St. Mary's Hospital, London, in the early stages of labor with her child with husband Prince William. Their child — the sex is a closely guarded secret, along with the name and just about everything else — will be third in line for the British throne.
(If The Telegraph's live feed above is overwhelmed by traffic, ABC News has its own live feed here)
It's fair to say that this is a big deal in Britain, along with royal-family enthusiasts worldwide. If you're wondering why dozens of television cameras are watching the door to the Lindo Wing of the hospital, royal commentator Alastair Bruce explains the history to The Telegraph:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Rikers Island will no longer be under New York City's control
The Explainer A 'remediation manager' has been appointed to run the infamous jail
-
California mulls pulling health care from eligible undocumented migrants
IN THE SPOTLIGHT After pushing for universal health care for all Californians regardless of their immigration status, Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget proposal backs away from a key campaign promise
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?
Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.