St. Mary's Hospital Gets Ready For Kate And William's Royal Baby No. 3

Bookies are taking bets on top names: Mary, Alice, Victoria, Albert, Arthur and Fred.
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A fresh coat of paint, new parking signs and crowd barriers outside the private wing of London’s St. Mary’s Hospital can only mean one thing: The next royal baby will soon be making its big debut.

The no-parking signs are in effect from Monday through the end of the month, so Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, could give birth any day.

Her 4-year-old son, Prince George, and his little sister, Princess Charlotte, 2, were both born in the same wing of the hospital. So was her husband, Prince William.

The former Kate Middleton will be cared for by a medical team led by Dr. Guy Thorpe-Beeston and Dr. Alan Farthing, People reports. They were also in charge when baby Charlotte was born almost three years ago.

“They have had two very positive experiences at the Lindo Wing so it’s the No. 1 choice,” a source told Vanity Fair. “She knows the team and she feels like she’s in very safe hands.”

No one knows the gender of Baby Three, not even the babe’s parents, who opted to be surprised.

The baby will be fifth in line to inherit the crown after Charles, William, George and Charlotte (Prince Harry will move down to sixth place). It’s a historic birth for Charlotte, who won’t be bumped down the line regardless of the gender of her next sibling. The Succession to the Crown Act 2013, passed when Kate was pregnant with George, states that succession to the throne is now wholly based on birth order, not gender.

Reporters will be informed when Kate begins labor, and they’ll then be allowed to set up their cameras outside the hospital. Accommodations in the private wing are luxe, with a “yummy” daily menu, one mom who gave birth there told Us magazine.

Bookies are taking bets on the big day — and possible baby names. As of Monday, the top picks for girls with bookmaker William Hill were Mary (3-1), Alice (6-1) and Victoria (8-1), The Evening Standard reported. Choices for boys were generally running neck-and-neck for Albert, Arthur and Fred.

Preparations outside St. Mary's Hospital in London.
Preparations outside St. Mary's Hospital in London.
Getty/Daniel Leal-Olivas

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