Princess Kate's due date quickly approaching: What you need to know

Princess Kate is due to give birth to her third child in a few short weeks and royal baby watch is officially beginning.

The Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital, where Kate delivered Prince George and Princess Charlotte, today issued parking suspensions around the hospital and started erecting barriers for the thousands of media, TV crews, photographers and well-wishers expected to descend on the hospital when Kate goes into labor.

Both Kensington Palace and St. Mary’s Hospital are doing what they can to ensure minimal disruption will take place at the hospital.

Kensington Palace has not announced the Duchess of Cambridge’s due date but it is understood that the baby is expected around April 23.

Prince William and Kate's new baby will join siblings George, who will turn 5 in July, and Charlotte, who turns 3 on May 2.

Kate will have the same doctors who oversaw the delivery of Charlotte in 2015 with her in the delivery room for this child.

Dr. Guy Thorpe Beeston, an obstetrician, and Sir Alan Farthing, surgeon gynecologist to Queen Elizabeth, will again lead the delivery, along with a number of midwives and other medical professionals.

Here is what to know as Kate’s due date quickly approaches.

How the baby's birth will be announced

When Kate gives birth, Queen Elizabeth and the royal family will be notified before a public announcement is made.

In keeping with tradition, once the birth is announced, a statement will be posted on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, just as it was after George and Charlotte's births.

Bells will toll, and there will be the traditional gun salute as the country celebrates the new heir.

The new baby's place in the royal family

When the baby is born, history will be made as Charlotte will be the first female to retain her claim to the throne, regardless of the baby’s gender.

The Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which was passed when Kate was pregnant with George, states that succession to the throne would be based wholly on birth order, not gender.

George is third in line to the throne and Charlotte is currently fourth in line to the throne.

William and Kate's third child will become fifth in line to the throne.

Prince Harry will be bumped down to sixth in line to the throne.

Like George and Charlotte, this child will also be designated as His or Her Royal Highness and will have the title of Prince or Princess.

William and Kate's help at home

The couple currently has a nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, who attended the prestigious Norland College in the U.K.

It is expected they may hire a second nanny or assistant to help with the addition of their third child.

Kate's maternity leave

Kate’s third pregnancy was announced on September 4th, after she was forced to cancel an engagement. Kate was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe morning sickness, as she did with her previous two pregnancies.

The diagnosis did not slow down her pace of royal engagements throughout her pregnancy.

She attended her last royal engagement on March 22 and went to an Easter service with members of the royal family this month.

Kate is expected to return to royal duties this fall after she takes some time off for maternity leave to spend time with her family . Kate is expected to still attend Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle on May 19th, provided her pregnancy remains on schedule.

Kate joked in February that William was “in denial" about their third baby and William has spoken about his exhaustion from two young children.

With George and Charlotte both currently attending school -- George at Thomas's Battersea and Charlotte at the Willcocks Nursery School, near Kensington Palace -- Kate and William will be able to enjoy some solo time with their new infant this time around.

The life and times of Princess of Wales

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Catherine, Princess of Wales during Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace on June 15, 2024, in London.

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Delivery at the Lindo Wing

Kate will have all the amenities of a five-star hotel inside the Lindo Wing, including freshly-prepared meals and afternoon tea service and champagne available for those who request it.

Birthing packages at the exclusive Lindo Wing start at 5,900 pounds, or around 8,300 U.S. dollars, for a one-night stay, with a standard room package. Deluxe packages at the hospital start at 6,275 pounds, or nearly 9,000 U.S. dollars.

The Lindo Wing is where the late Princess Diana also delivered both William and Harry.