Britain's new royal baby may not be a Londoner

London, Apr 20: Prince William and Kate Middleton's second baby is due any day now and contingency plans for the pregnancy mean the mother-to-be may not have enough time to be driven to London for the birth.

If Kate remains at her London home at Kensington Palace, the already confirmed venue of Lindo Wing at St. Mary's hospital in the UK capital will remain unchanged.

However, if her pregnancy drags on she may decide to visit her parents in Bucklebury, Berkshire, or may even choose to stay at Anmer Hall, the royal couple's newly-refurbished country home in Norfolk.

As a result, two local hospitals – the Royal Berkshire in Reading and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn in Norfolk – have been put on standby, with the Duchess of Cambridge's obstetricians advised that they could be summoned to either location, according to 'The Daily Telegraph'.

If the new baby is born outside London, he or she would become the first member of the British royal family born outside London since Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II's sister, was delivered at Glamis Castle in Scotland in 1930.

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry were both born at St Mary's in London, as was Prince George most recently.

His grandfather Prince Charles and his brothers, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, were delivered at Buckingham Palace, while Charles' sister Princess Anne was born at Clarence House in London.

The Queen was born in 1926 at her grandparents' London home in Mayfair. Anticipation around the royal birth is on overdrive as the due date of April 24 or 25 draws near.

If the baby is born tomorrow, he or she will share its birthday with great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, who will be 89, while April 29 will be his or her parents' fourth wedding anniversary.

There is also the very remote possibility that if the baby is overdue it could be born on May 7, the day of the UK General Election.

The birth has triggered a betting frenzy among the British public, who predict a blonde baby girl named Princess Alice based on the current odds.

Press photographers from around the world have begun to flock to the press enclosure opposite St. Mary's hospital in central London to grab the first official shot of the royal couple cradling their new baby.

PTI