The News of the World hacked voicemail messages from Prince William to Kate Middleton, including one in which he "nearly got shot" by blank rounds in an army training exercise, a court has been told.

Transcripts of intimate and private messages left by the prince while he was training at Sandhurst military academy in which he call Kate, his future wife, "baby" and "babykins" were read to the jury in the hacking trial at the Old Bailey on Thursday.

The intercepted voicemails produced a string of exclusives for the paper including one headlined "Harry aide helps out in Sandhurst exams" and another revealing that William was out "beagling".

It is the first time the now-defunct tabloid, owned by Rupert Murdoch, has been accused of illegally intercepting the voicemails of anyone directly related to one of the royals.

Up to now it has only been known that royal household staff were hacked by the paper, leading to the conviction of the News of the World's former royal editor, Clive Goodman, and the private investigator used by the paper Glenn Mulcaire in 2007.

Transcripts of the voicemails were uncovered at the time of their arrest in 2006 but have not been revealed in public before.

The judge in the phone-hacking trial deemed the voicemails both admissible and relevant because they could be directly linked to stories by Goodman published by the News of the World.

In the first voicemail transcript the jury heard, Prince William left a message telling Kate he had just finished training and told her how he had nearly got shot in an ambush on a dummy exercise.

He starts by saying "Hi baby", and then goes on to explain his day.

"I had a busy day today again. I've been running around the woods of Aldershot chasing shadows and getting terribly lost, and I walked into some other regiment's ambush, which was slightly embarrassing because I nearly got shot. Not by live rounds but by blank rounds, which would be very embarrassing though.

"Um, er, yeah, I'm off on exercise tomorrow morning, just for the day, and then I'm back on Saturday first thing, erm, so I probably won't be able to speak to you tomorrow night."

He then told her he might send her "a cheeky text message" because he might have his phone with him before signing off: "All right, baby, lots of love, um, speak to you soon. Bye bye."

An internal News of the World email later sent by Goodman to colleagues subsequently helped identify a resulting story for the paper, telling them "William shot in ambush".

The News of the World subsequently ran a story in the Blackadder column edited by Goodman with the same headline.

The other transcripts included one in which Williams addresses Kate as "babykins".

This nickname then appeared in an "exclusive" by Goodman on 12 February 2006 which went on to say that "Wills wants the girl he calls 'babykins' to be his princess".

In another voicemail, William told Kate he was going to secretly get away from Sandhurst and was hoping to get to her parents' house.

He said he was going to "try to go beagling today and then I'm going to try to come to you afterwards".

In an email shown to the jury Goodman told the then News of the World editor Andy Coulson about William's plans for beagling, noting that this is a story as leave is not allowed at Sandhurst. He added: "No leave for first five weeks, going to be dead tricky to stand up."

On a later date William called Kate and left a message telling her he is "planning on coming out about sevenish, so I will be with you about 7.45".

In an email Goodman told his then news editor Ian Edmondson: "He was due to leave 7pmish" and is planning to see Kate. "From the inf [sic] I've got, it loos like he is going to her parent's house near Reading" because his "ETA" wouldn't give him enough time to make it to her London flat."

The jury heard that Prince Harry's phone was also hacked. They were told of an unidentified male voice phoning the prince, putting on a female voice and pretending to be Chelsy Davy, his then girlfriend who was holidaying in South Africa.

"He puts on a false voice and tells how much he misses Harry," the prosecutor Andrew Edis QC told the jury, adding that he also called Harry "Ginger".

A story in the News of the World headlined "Chelsy tears strip off Harry" included a reference to a phone call in which she told him how much she missed him and called him "Ginger". Readers were told that Harry "sees the funny side".

The trial continues.

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

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Prince George — Kate Middleton and Prince William's first offspring — is just 9 months old and already being "digitally enhanced" with photoshop on magazine covers.

As PageSix points out, George boasts "emerald green eyes, rosier cheeks and stronger strawberry-blond-tinged hair and brows" on the magazine's cover, but inside photos reveal "darker brown eyes and paler cheeks."

A spokesperson at Us Weekly didn't deny the enhancement, stating, “The original image used for the Prince George cover was dark and bluish in tone and needed to be given an overall color shift for printing purposes."

But the magazine rep counters, "By no means did we go in and alter the color of his eyes or cheeks."

Judge for yourselves below:

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Today marks Prince William and Kate Middleton's third anniversary.

After three years together, the couple have adopted a dog, moved into their own home at Kensington Palace, and have welcomed their first child.

Though the couple shine at red carpet galas, fundraisers and tours, some of the best moments between the two are candid shots of them laughing and smiling.

Relive some of the couple's most memorable moments.

April 29 2011: Kate and William kiss on their wedding day.

May 24, 2011: The royals meet the Obamas at Buckingham Palace before attending a special lunch hosted by Queen Elizabeth.

(Source: People)

July 7, 2011: Kate and William show off matching cowboy get up while visiting Canada during their first joint overseas tour.

Spring has sprung, and it's brought with it a slew of new babies. 

In the last month alone, Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis had a son, Roger Federer's wife gave birth to twin boys, and Chelsea Clinton announced that she's pregnant.

In honor of mother's day, we found the most powerful babies who have either been born recently or will be born this year. 

These babies might still be drooling and crawling, but they're already poised to become major players who will one day rule the world — and that means that their moms have a lot to be proud of. 

Future Politician: Margaret Laura ‘Mila’ Hager

Parents: Jenna Bush Hager and Henry Hager

The former First Daughter and husband Henry Hager welcomed their baby girl last April.

As the  first grandchild of a former U.S. President (George W. Bush) and the great grandchild of another former U.S. President (George HW Bush), this baby will have some serious political clout.

Future Hollywood Royalty: Dashiell Weinstein

Parents: Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman

Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood's biggest producer, and his wife Georgina Chapman, fashion designer and founder of Marchesa, welcomed a son last April, named Dashiell.

This is the couple's second child together, but their first son. With his parents' high-profile Hollywood connections, this baby will be a major player in the entertainment world.

Future Oligarch: Leah Lou Abramovich

Parents: Roman Abramovich and Daria 'Dasha' Zhukova

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and his model girlfriend Dasha Zhukova welcomed their second child together—a baby girl named Leah Lou—last April. The baby was born at a hospital in New York, and will therefore have American citizenship.

This is the seventh child for Abramovich, who owns the Chelsea Football Club.

The phone-hacking trial that will outlive Us All continues to roll on, and, as part of Wednesday’s proceedings, it was revealed that former News of the World royal reporter Clive Goodman allegedly hacked Kate Middleton’s phone “at least” 155 times.

The first time he broke into the now-duchess’s voicemail was in December of 2005, doing so on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day of that month—and then, apparently, at least 152 other times over the subsequent year. (“Does anyone know what’s up with Clive?! I gave him what I thought was a lovely tie, but he’s been huddled up in the attic glued to his phone the entire holiday!”) 

Goodman was arrested on phone-hacking allegations on August 8, 2006, and allegedly hacked Middleton’s phone as recently as the day before, on August 7.

Goodman—who has previously been jailed on account of phone hacking, and is now serving as a witness in the current trial—is also accused of hacking Prince William’s phone 35 times (first in January 2006), and Prince Harry’s nine times. (And we also know Goodman may have made his way into Chelsy Davy’s voicemail at least once or twice.)

Goodman—who returned to the witness stand yesterday after an illness—said that he does not have any “intention to deceive . . . anybody else about [his] involvement in hacking.” He explained, “If anyone asks me an open question, I will give an open answer.” 

Goodman—one of seven defendants in the case, along with former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks—denies “conspiring to commit misconduct in public office,” according to the BBC. He had previously said he only hacked the phones of aides; asked yesterday why he hadn't revealed he hacked William and Harry’s phones before, Goodman said, “Nobody asked me.”

SEE ALSO: 19 Iconic Photos Of Kate Middleton And Prince William

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Prince William and Kate Middleton's first born son, Prince George of Cambridge, arrived to a media frenzy exactly one year ago today.

And what a year it's been!

The royal baby has already hobnobbed with dignitaries and traveled the world, visiting zoos everywhere from New Zealand to London.

See where Prince George's travels have taken him and how he has grown throughout the year.

On July 22, 2013, Kate Middleton and Prince William debuted their new bundle of joy — Prince George of Cambridge — outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in central London.

Prince William quickly whisked his son away from the massive crowds and into a car headed for Kensington Palace.

Prince George is third in line to the British throne. His birth certificate was filed with the Westminster Register Office in London.

The youngest of the Middleton children, James, has a business that's booming: Turning Instagram photos into edible treats.

The Duchess of Cambridge's brother, according to CNBC, owns 45% of a company called Boomf. Boomf prints photos onto marshmallows. Think of it as the new, cooler version of putting photos on grocery store sheet cakes.

Boomf launched in 2013. Andy Bell, the CEO, told CNBC that the "interest from both individual consumers and large corporations" has been wild and overwhelming.

For $26, you can transfer 9 Instagram images to 4cmx4cm marshmallows and they'll be delivered to your doorstep.

First, you connect to Instagram. Boomf gives you some tips:

Then you choose 9 photos from your feed. I picked a bunch of Mookie and Reilly, the two main dogs in my life.

Then you order. And the shipping is free!

"[Boomf is] a collaboration of technology and food. We wanted to experiment with how we could combine the two," Middleton told CNBC in an interview. "We're taking confectionery into the modern era."

Visit Boomf's website here, and see the full feature from CNBC.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting their second child, Kensington Palace announced on Monday morning. 

Congrats to the royal couple!

The full announcement is below:

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child.

The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.

As with her first pregnancy, The Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer accompany The Duke of Cambridge on their planned engagement in Oxford today. The Duchess of Cambridge is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their first child, Prince George of Cambridge, in July last year. 

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Prince William and Kate Middleton's second child is due in April 2015, Kensington Palace announced on Monday morning. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced the pregnancy in September.

The Royal couple welcomed their first child, Prince George of Cambridge, in July last year. 

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Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, who is pregnant with their second child, will make a quick visit to the United States next month which will include a visit to the Sept. 11 memorial in New York City, Kensington Palace said on Friday.

Their son Prince George, who was born last July, will not be going with them on the Dec. 7-9 trip, which will take the couple to New York for the first time.

The son of heir to the throne Prince Charles and his first wife Diana, William will also go to Washington D.C. to attend an anti-corruption conference on the smuggling of wildlife parts and the illegal ivory trade.

Kate will stay in New York where she will be accompanied by the wife of Mayor Bill de Blasio, Chirlane McCray, on a visit to a local child development center.

In New York, the couple, known officially since their 2011 wedding as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will also attend a basketball game to promote cooperation between the NBA and organisations in Britain of which they are patrons.

The last time the couple visited the United States was in 2011, when they went to California.

The Duchess, who only recently resumed official duties after a severe bout of morning sickness, is due to give birth next April.

(Reporting By Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

SEE ALSO: 19 Iconic Photos Of Kate Middleton And Prince William

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Next week, Prince William and Kate Middleton will attend a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York benefiting their 600-year-old alma mater, the University of St Andrews.

The duke and duchess of Cambridge, who first met in college, will have dinner with celebrities and Wall Street luminaries at the posh event scheduled for next Tuesday, Dec. 9.

According to the New York Post, those expected to be in attendance from the finance world include private-equity executive Olivier Sarkozy and his actress girlfriend Mary-Kate Olsen; Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat, whose daughter attends St Andrews; and Alastair Borthwick, head of global commercial banking for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. 

The 600-person dinner will be held inside the hall housing the Temple of Dendur. A VIP table for 10 costs $100,000. 

Tom Hanks will give the formal toast after dinner, Business Insider has learned. His daughter studied at St Andrews. Renee Fleming will sing. 

St Andrews says it has a "tiny endowment" and is working to raise £100 million ($156.7 million). 

"Funds raised during the evening will support student scholarships and bursaries, new student sports facilities in St Andrews, investment in the university's medical and scientific faculties and a lectureship in American Literature at St Andrews,"the university said on its website.  

Sounds like fun.

UPDATE: Sean Connery and Sting will not be present. Connery is an honorary co-chair of the event, but won’t be present, and Sting is committed to perform in his Broadway show.

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Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, the duchess of Cambridge, arrived in the US on Sunday evening for a three-day tour of Manhattan and Washington, DC.

The royals were greeted by crowds of fans and heavy security upon their arrival at the Carlyle Hotel, where they will stay for the duration of their trip.

Shortly after arriving, the couple was whisked away for a fundraising dinner at the Gramercy Park apartment of British advertising legend Sir Martin Sorrell of WPP.

There, the couple raised more than $2 million for their charity, the American Friends of the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

With only two full days in the US, the royals' schedule is jampacked. Here's what the couple has planned for Monday and Tuesday:

On Monday, William met with Obama in Washington, DC, while Kate visited a Harlem children's center with Chirlane McCray, wife of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The duke of Cambridge met with President Obama ahead of William's speech to the World Bank on the illegal wildlife trade. He also joked about the "chaos" of his son George's birth. 

Shortly thereafter, the prince spoke at the World Bank on behalf of United For Wildlife, a group of conservation organizations united to end illegal wildlife trade. 

Meanwhile, Kate visited the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem alongside Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife — and first lady of New York City — Chirlane McCray.

Kate has repeatedly been compared to the late Princess Diana, who would also meet with children from disadvantaged backgrounds during her visits to New York.

Kate reportedly spent about an hour at the center, wrapping presents and doing arts and crafts with the kids.

Afterwards, Kate attended a luncheon at the residence of the British consul general, where she mingled with members of the successful British business and arts community in New York.

William was scheduled to meet Kate at the British consul general's residence on Monday afternoon, accompanied by Chelsea and Hillary Clinton, for a conservation reception recognizing the work done by various United for Wildlife partners.

On Monday night, the couple will head to Brooklyn to watch the Brooklyn Nets play the Cleveland Cavaliers and mark the launch of a new collaboration between The Royal Foundation, United for Wildlife, and the NBA. 

On Tuesday morning, William and Kate will visit the 9/11 Memorial and travel to the top of the Empire State Building.

Neither Kate nor Will has ever been to New York before, so they are eager to squeeze in some tourist activities while they're here.

Royal aides had originally not planned for Kate to go to the Empire State Building, thinking the pregnant princess would like some down time, but after seeing it was not on her schedule, she reportedly told her staff she would like to go. 

The Empire State Building commemorated the couple's first visit to the Big Apple by changing its lights to red, white, and blue — the colors of the Union Jack flag.

We welcome Their #Royal Highnesses The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge by sparkling in red, white & blue. #RoyalVisitUSApic.twitter.com/o0tr84eKAI

— Empire State Bldg (@EmpireStateBldg) December 7, 2014

Later, the couple will attend a charity dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for St. Andrews University, where they met as undergrads in 2001.

The charity dinner celebrating St. Andrews' 600th anniversary will be held at the museum’s Temple of Dendur exhibit, and will cost attendees a reported £85,000 ($132,991) per table.

Tom Hanks, Mary-Kate Olsen, and William’s cousin Princess Eugenie are all scheduled to attend, the Daily Mail reported. 

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Prince William and Kate took time during their three-day trip to New York to attend an NBA game in Brooklyn between the Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The couple arrived in the first half, but it wasn't until the third quarter when they reached their courtside seats next to NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo.

Shortly thereafter, the royal couple received the most American of welcomes as they were introduced on the scoreboard for the audience.

William seemed to enjoy the moment, waving to the camera.

Here is the moment as it was seen in the arena and broadcast on the YES Network.

Of course, this is Brooklyn, so William and Kate weren't the only royalty in the house. They had a great view of LeBron "King" James, who led the Cavs to a 110-88 victory.

Jay Z and Beyonce were also sitting nearby.

Sure enough, during one of the game's timeouts, Jay Z and Beyonce were led over to the royal couple for a brief introduction.

Royalty meets royalty.

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LeBron James raised some eyebrows when meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Monday in Brooklyn.

In exchanging gifts, the basketball star raised his athletic arm and placed it on Catherine Middleton's shoulder, a move that is regarded as a breech of etiquette.

Commoners do not touch the Royal Family, except to shake their hands when introduced.

Here was the scene:

Note that Prince William doesn't seem to know where to look. Catherine keeps her grin fixed. James had just spent 34 minutes playing for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in their 110-88 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. We assume he had a shower.

Having said that, breaches of the no-touching rule occur all the time with the Royals. And it's not as if James were putting a leg around Catherine's waist, as happened to her father-in-law Prince Charles in 1999 on a visit to Argentina.

Prince William's reaction (he hardly noticed) tells you a lot about the modern Royals' attitude toward etiquette. The Prince simply looked away.

"I don't think that they are as hot on etiquette as most people think they are,"said Jennie Bond, the BBC's Royal correspondent for 14 years.

Times are changing, and so does the etiquette.

Many still remember Charles' encounter with the Spice Girls, when Geri Halliwell broke more than one rule by pinching his backside.

Here is how it looked. You can see the action behind Victoria Beckham, who is mugging for the camera.

Meeting the Queen is another story, as Michelle Obama would remember from her 2009 visit to London. On that occasion, the hug between the First Lady and the monarch caused an uproar:

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair grabbed Her Majesty's hand on New Year's Eve of 1999/2000 in Glasgow. It's not strictly a breach of the rules. She does not appear to appreciate his common touch:

And when Paul Keating, then the prime minister of Australia, met the Queen in 1993 he did not think twice about putting an arm around her back to guide her through MPs and bystanders. Keating also wanted Australia to become a republic rather than a dominion ruled by the British monarchy, so the Queen probably did not like it either.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went to the Brooklyn Nets-Cleveland Cavaliers game at Barclays Center on Monday night.

After spending the entire first half eating dinner at the arena, they took their seats next to Dikembe Mutombo (!) with about seven minutes left in the third quarter. 

With the dark magic that the British monarchy uses to maintain its existence in the post-imperial era, William and Kate summoned a Cavaliers run the instant they sat down.

The score was 61-61 when they showed up. The game ended 110-88 Cavs, a 22-point swing (via @uurods):

"Well we'll have to bring them to every game then," coach David Blatt told Cleveland.com after the game.

LeBron James dished out five of his seven assists after the royals showed up in the third quarter. He made just one shot, but it was a ridiculous fadeaway:

Tristan Thompson was particularly motivated by the royals. He even tried to steal a rebound from a teammate at one point:

 "Come on you Cavs."

After winning the game, Kate got to meet LeBron:

Get these two to a Browns game:

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took the Big Apple by storm this week, and while they were here they stayed at one of the city's most exquisite and refined hotels — The Carlyle — on the Upper East Side (76th Street and Madison Avenue to be exact.)

The hotel boasts huge, fancy suites, a spa, a state-of-art fitness center, and tons of amenities, as well as a rich history and a long list of honored guests who once roamed the halls.

Take a look inside The Carlyle, a Rosewood hotel, to find out what makes it fit for a prince and princess.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in New York at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday evening and were taken to their hotel, The Carlyle on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The hotel is located steps from Central Park.

The Carlyle has been the hotel of choice for a long line of dignitaries, ABC News points out. William's mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, is among those who have stayed at the hotel.

He may be the heir to the throne, but for now, 21-month-old Prince George is just a regular baby making his way through life and learning as he goes.

Recently, the toddler has had everyone "oooh"-ing and "aww"-ing over his latest mix up; thinking his father, Prince William, was hiding out in the family's china cabinet after being told Dad was visiting the country of the same name.

People Magazine reports Claudia Gordon, a luxury travel advisor, heard the tale from Princess Kate herself.

“She told me that his daddy, Prince William, was visiting China," Gordon recalled. "After hearing this he went to the china cabinet, opened it and proclaimed ‘daddy is not here.’ ”

The young prince, who turns two in late July, will become a big brother this month. In his days as an only child, he's already completed his first royal tour, where he visited a playgroup and a zoo in New Zealand.

As for his confusion between dinnerware and countries, Gordon relays a message from Princess Kate. 

"She said they would work on his geography." 

SEE ALSO: Remember Prince George's glamorous first year?

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London (AFP) - When Prince William and his wife Kate emerge from hospital cradling Britain's new royal baby for the cameras, the picture will be on the front of newspapers worldwide. But don't expect many photographs after that.

The second in line to the throne and his wife have fought hard for the right to bring up their family in private, despite being one of the most famous couples in the world.

Their first child, Prince George, is approaching his second birthday but has only appeared in public a few times -- outside the hospital when he was born in 2013, at his christening and on a tour of Australia and New Zealand last year. 

The media are generally prepared to accept such scarce appearances by George and the new baby, expected this month.

"People have quite an outdated view of the British royal press pack," said Richard Palmer, royal correspondent for Britain's Daily Express newspaper.

"I think they still think we're hiding in hedgerows and doing things that people did 25 years ago.

"But the reality is the British press is pretty respectful to the royal family at the moment -- some might say it's a bit cowed."

"Readers don't want you to go too far," added Simon Perry, chief foreign correspondent of US celebrity magazine People. 

"I don't think there is an appetite for people to be pursued or intruded upon in an excessive way."

The death of William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales, was a turning point in the royal family's relationship with the media. 

She was being followed by paparazzi photographers when her car, driven by a chauffeur who had been drinking, crashed in Paris in 1997.

William "thinks the press were to blame" for Diana's death, said Judy Wade, Hello! magazine's royal correspondent. 

Kate is also suspicious of the media after incidents including the publication by a French magazine of paparazzi photographs of her topless on holiday in 2012, Wade added.

Although Britain has no overarching privacy law, newspapers now hardly ever publish paparazzi photographs of William, Kate or George, even though they are periodically published by magazines elsewhere and circulate on Twitter and Facebook.

Palmer said newspapers are very conscious of how their readers will view stories about them, asking: "Are the readers going to think: 'Oh my god, they're doing the same thing to this couple as they did to Diana'?"

Royal officials also take a hard line -- when a photographer was suspected of following Prince George and his nanny in London parks last year, lawyers swiftly sent a warning letter.

But Wade said that paparazzi shots were still published elsewhere in the world.

"If somebody gets a set of paparazzi pictures, they will sell in Europe, America but not here," Wade said. "A lot of people, especially photographers, can't make any money out of it any more."

Another factor in changing the style of coverage has been the outcry over British newspapers hacking the voicemails of celebrities, which led to some reporters being jailed.

The News of the World tabloid, closed by owner Rupert Murdoch in 2011, hacked phones belonging to Kate, William and his brother Prince Harry over 200 times. 

This led to stories including one revealing that William's nickname for his wife was "babykins".

It looks like most coverage of the second royal baby will be much like that for the first -- respectful, even deferential, with a focus on the feelgood factor.

But Palmer warned that, despite William and Kate's desire for privacy, the royals in general need media coverage to guarantee their survival.

"Clearly without the oxygen of publicity, the royal family would wither and die," he said.

SEE ALSO: Here's a who's who of the Saudi royal family

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are preparing for their second child, due later this month. Here's what you need to know before the new royal baby arrives.

When is the baby due?

Last month, Kate revealed that she is due in mid- to late-April. However, there are unconfirmed reports that Kate's exact due date is April 25. 

Will the baby be a boy or girl?

William, 32, and Kate, 33, are keeping the gender of the baby a surprise, although the the public seems to favour a little princess. The sex of the baby will be announced in a written statement posted outside Buckingham Palace.

What does the betting public say?

The odds are 5/4 that Kate will give birth to a girl who will be named Alice, the Daily Mail reports. Bookies also favour the name Elizabeth and Charlotte if the baby is a girl.

Where will the baby be delivered?

Kate will give birth in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in central London's Paddington, which is the same luxury birthing suite where she delivered Prince George nearly two years ago. Patients in the Lindo Wing are greeted with champagne, luxury toiletries, and a reclining chair for fathers at a reported cost of £6,265 ($9,450) for a one-night stay.

Where will Prince William be when the baby arrives?

The duke is about a two-hour drive to St. Mary's hospital from where he's currently training as an ambulance pilot in east Anglia. He plans to take two weeks of paternity leave to spend time with his second child. 

How will we know when Kate has been admitted to the hospital for labour?

The news will be tweeted by Kensington Palace and an email will be sent to the press. A written announcement will be posted on an easel at the gates of Buckingham Palace once the baby is born. The birth announcement will include the baby's gender, weight, and exact time of birth.

What if the Duchess is not in London when she goes into labour?

The staff at Royal Berkshire Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge have been prepped in case Kate can't make it to St. Mary's. 

Where will the new royal baby be in the line of succession?

The baby will be fourth in line to inherit the throne, behind grandfather Prince Charles, father Prince William, and older brother Prince George. The baby will be ahead of uncle Prince Harry. 

What sort of memorabilia can I buy to commemorate the event?

The Royal Mint will release a £5 coin to mark the occasion. A coin was also created for the birth of Prince George in 2013. 

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London (AFP) - Prince William's second child, due later this month, will be born fourth in line to the British throne, which can prove a tricky place to be.

Whoever is fourth in the line of succession bears the burdens of being close to the throne, but without a specific individual role to fulfill.

The position of fourth in line has changed hands since the last person to be born thus -- prince William of Gloucester, who died in a plane accident and after whom William was named.

The last person to inherit the throne after being fourth in line was Queen Elizabeth II's father, George VI, who was born in the position in 1895 behind his grandfather and future king Edward VII, his father George V, and brother Edward VIII.

Births, deaths and Edward VIII's abdication in 1936 have nudged senior royals up and down the list.

Queen Elizabeth's late sister princess Margaret and their uncle prince Henry had repeated turns in the position.

Through twists of fortune, some stay high in the royal ranks, while others slide ever further down the order.

"It's very unlikely that this new baby will reign," said Robert Jobson, a royal commentator.

The latest fourth in lines have included:

Prince Willliam of Gloucester, fourth in line to the throne between 1941 and 1948

A grandson of George V, he was the last person born fourth in line to the throne. His father was Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the younger brother of kings Edward VIII and George VI, Queen Elizabeth's father. Elizabeth, her sister Margaret, and Henry were directly ahead of William. A licenced pilot, he was killed in a plane crash in 1972, aged 30. The current Prince William, born 10 years later, is named after him.

Prince Henry, 1948-1950

The birth of Elizabeth's first child Prince Charles in 1948 pushed Henry back down into fourth place. King George V's third son finished a two-year term as governor-general of Australia the year before.

Princess Margaret, 1950-1952

The birth of Elizabeth's second child Princess Anne in 1950 meant Margaret moved back down to fourth, the position she was born in in 1930.

Prince Henry, 1952-1960

The death of his brother George VI and the accession of George's daughter Elizabeth meant Henry moved back up to fourth again.

Princess Margaret, 1960-1964

The arrival of Queen Elizabeth's second son Prince Andrew, who overtook his sister Anne in second place as male offspring took precedence, meant Margaret slid back to fourth once more. She died 11th in line in 2002.

Princess Anne, 1964-1982

The birth of Queen Elizabeth's third son Prince Edward meant Anne moved down to fourth in line. The new succession laws, which came into force last month, mean that younger brothers born since October 28, 2011 no longer overtake their older sisters. The new baby will make Anne 12th in line.

Prince Edward, 1982-1984

Charles's son Prince William was born second in line to the throne, meaning Edward dropped to fourth place.

Prince Andrew, 1984-2013

Two years later, Charles's second son Prince Harry was born third in line, pushing Andrew back into fourth slot for nearly three decades, the longest spell anyone has had at fourth in well over a century. 

Prence Harry, 2013-2015

Only children born to those ahead of Harry could move him further down the line, and William's first child, Prince George of Cambridge, was born third in line behind Charles and then William, meaning he should one day inherit the throne as the eldest child of the eldest child of the eldest child of the sovereign.

Babby Cambridge, 2015-

The new baby will be born fourth in line. After William married Kate in 2011, new royal succession laws, ending male primogeniture, were hurridly agreed by prime ministers from the 16 Commonwealth realms, including Britain, Australia and Canada, to avoid the potential scenario of a male second child overtaking a female first-born in the line of succession and keeping her from one day inheriting the throne. However, the situation was averted by William's first-born being a boy. 

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