Well, if you believe news sources, today is the due date of a most eagerly anticipated baby – the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s firstborn.
But am I bothered. Well, no. Not really.
For months now, we as a nation have speculated over the due date, sex and name of the royal heir. We’ve watched Kate’s bump avidly; commenting on her health, size, weight and the clothes she’s worn. And in a statement that frankly left me feeling rather uncomfortable we know Kate has opted for a natural birth, at the exclusive Lindo wing at St Mary’s Hospital,London.
This week attention on the royal couple has reached epic levels, with the world’s media camped outside the hospital. For those of us that can’t be there The Telegraph is kindly running a webcam, so we can keep an eye on any comings or goings. How lovely.
Now, I’ve never had a baby, so I can’t exactly speak into Kate’s current situation. I’d imagine being pregnant with your first child is exciting, bewildering, scary and emotional. (Probably all at the same time.) The wondering of when it will arrive, if labour really is as bad as they say, and fears about anything going wrong.
For the Duchess of Cambridge though there is something significantly different – she is giving birth to a royal baby. Her child will one day be King (or Queen). And the nation is now waiting with baited breath for her waters to break.
No pressure then.
As Danny wrote on threads when Kate’s pregnancy was announced: “It was almost as though the whole country was pregnant.” From the very outset there was a national ownership of this baby, a collective excitement and joy.
Please don’t lynch me, but I’m really not all that excited. Of course, I’m delighted for William and Kate. Babies are super. But something about our obsession with the #greatkatewait (yes, it’s got a hashtag) left me feeling slightly uncomfortable. Birth is beautiful, messy and intensely private. There can sometimes be complications.
Of course, I understand the significance that comes with being born into the Royal Family, but equally I wish that Kate could have her baby in total privacy – relishing every moment that motherhood ushers in.
No camera, no hashtags, no pressure.