The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to a west London
hospital after going into labour.
Catherine was admitted to the Lindo Wing at St Mary's
Hospital where Prince George was born in July 2013.
Kensington Palace said earlier that "labour is
progressing as normal" for Catherine, who was taken to the hospital by
car.
The duchess travelled from the palace with her husband
Prince William and was admitted at 06:00 BST (05:00 GMT).
Officials have said the duchess and the prince do not know
the sex of their unborn child.The new baby will be fourth in line to the throne, behind
his or her grandfather Prince Charles , father Prince William and brother
Prince George.
On Thursday, during an official engagement, Prince Charles
said he was hoping the duchess gave birth to a girl.
He added: "With the rest of the nation I'll be wishing
them well today, hoping for a healthy and happy outcome.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "I want to pass on my
best wishes to the Duchess of Cambridge. My thoughts are with her and the Duke
of Cambridge today. I wish them well."
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg tweeted: "Best of luck
to the Duchess of Cambridge today, as she gives birth to her second child. The
thoughts of the whole country will be with her.
Two police officers now guard the familiar brown door to the
private Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in west London.
The media areas are filled with camera crews and reporters
from around the world.
The small group of royal fans who've camped outside the
hospital for two weeks at last know a baby is on the way.
The statement from Kensington Palace was emailed to royal
correspondents at 06:34 BST confirming that the Duchess of Cambridge was in the
early stages of labour.
It's a brief statement, just two sentences, and that will be
it for now.
Kensington Palace has made it clear that there will be no
running commentary on the duchess's labour.
The next news we will hear will be the announcement that a
baby has been born.
Full coverage: Royal Baby
line
Both Prince William and his brother Prince Harry were also
born at the Lindo Wing.
Catherine, who is thought to be overdue, is being looked
after by consultant obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston.
He will be joined in the delivery room by Alan Farthing, the
Queen's surgeon-gynaecologist.
Fans of the Royal Family have been gathering near the
hospital with flags and banners in recent days.
But unlike at the time of Prince George's birth, the world's
press were stopped from camping outside in advance.
The birth will be announced in an email to the press. Two
minutes later, a tweet will be posted on the Kensington Palace Twitter feed -
@KensingtonRoyal.
There will also be the traditional custom of placing a paper
announcement outside Buckingham Palace.
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