A nation's joy, a husband's nerves: Anxious William at pregnant Kate's bedside after dramatic hospital dash

• Duchess of Cambridge taken to hospital with acute morning sickness
• Couple are forced to reveal pregnancy weeks early because of her ill-health
• She is expected to be kept in King Edward VII Hospital for several days
• Doctors put 30-year-old on a drip to restore fluids and nutrients
• Prince William drove his wife to hospital after she fell ill at weekend
• She developed sickness at parents' home in Bucklebury, Berkshire
• Prince spent hours at her bedside before leaving at 8.15pm last night
• Middletons were told of pregnancy at weekend but Queen learned yesterday
• Royals scrambled to tell Prince Harry who is serving in Afghanistan
• Baby will be born third in line to throne and great grandchild to the Queen

It was a day of intense joy for the nation but for William, sitting at his wife’s hospital bedside, the excitement was tinged with anxiety.
He and the Duchess of Cambridge had been hoping to keep the news they were expecting a baby to themselves until Christmas Day.
But with Kate admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness, they had little choice but to make the announcement.
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Attentive: The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured at a reception in London last week, was rushed to the King Edward VII Hospital with acute morning sickness. Prince William stayed by her side for several hours before leaving last night, pictured right

Tense: Prince William left his wife Kate's bedside at about 8.15pm last night. He drove Kate to King Edward VII hospital yesterday after she fell ill with acute morning sickness

Doting husband: Wearing a grey jumper and shirt, the Prince leaves the hospital last night

They delighted millions around the world – including their own families – with the happy news.

 

But as the word spread, the parents-to-be were together in hospital, facing the first hurdle in a much longed for pregnancy.
Kate, 30, who is barely eight weeks pregnant, was taken to the hospital just after lunch by her husband and immediately put on a drip to stop her becoming dehydrated.

Pregnant: The Duchess of Cambridge visited her 'adored' prep school St Andrews last week and even played hockey in high heels despite being pregnant

Watching on: The waiting media outside King Edward VII Hospital in central London where the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted following the announcement that she is expecting a baby

The announcement has gained the attention of the world's media, who are stood outside the hospital in anticipation

Last night she appeared to be responding well to treatment. Sources said there was ‘no cause for alarm’.
However, doctors at the King Edward VII Hospital in central London have taken the precautionary step of keeping her in for the next few days.
It had been a nerve-racking day for Prince William. Last night, wearing a grey jumper and blue shirt, he left the hospital in Marylebone but said nothing to the dozens of camera crews and photographers outside. He was then taken back to Kensington Palace by three royal protection officers in a green Land Rover.

The press, photographers and members of the public gathered last night outside the hospital

An entrance to King Edward VII Hospital in Central London was guarded by police last night

Speculation: Rumours abounded in September that the Duchess might have been expecting when the royal couple visited Singapore as part of an official tour and chinked glasses of iced water at a gala reception

The Duke had been at his wife’s side for most of the day. Royal sources confirmed he would be visiting today.

ACUTE MORNING SICKNESS AFFECTS 2% OF PREGNANT WOMEN

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a rare condition believed to affect up to two per cent of women in pregnancy and is a severe form of morning sickness.
It tends to be more common in young mothers, women who are in their first pregnancy, and those with multiple pregnancies.
Women with HG often lose weight - usually over 10 per cent of their body weight - and feel tired and dizzy.
They may also find they are passing water less often than usual, and the main risk is dehydration which can lead to headache, palpitations and confusion.
There is also a risk of nutritional deficiencies.
Then symptoms are severe, admission to hospital may be needed for observation and to treat dehydration with intravenous fluids.
This usually only means a few days in hospital.
Unlike most morning sickness, HG usually persists past the first trimester of pregnancy, and typically subsides by week 21 of pregnancy – although it can last much longer.
However, leading doctors say that along with more ordinary morning sickness, it is a sign the pregnancy is progressing.
Dr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, consultant obstetrician and medical director of the London Women’s Clinic, says: ‘It is almost always a positive sign that the pregnancy is progressing well.
‘The sickness is thought to be due to a rise in hormone levels. It normally occurs during weeks six and eight of pregnancy, when the placenta takes over production of hormones from the ovaries.
‘It generally continues until around 12 or 14 weeks, but if it stops before, it can — although not always — be a sign that all is not well.’

Mark Prigg

The sources told the Mail that the couple initially had ‘no plans whatsoever’ to announce the pregnancy until after she had had her 12-week scan.
They also revealed that the Duke and Duchess had not planned to tell the Royal Family of their news until they were all gathered together at Sandringham at Christmas.
But in view of the Duchess’s hospitalisation the couple made the ‘reluctant and difficult’ decision to publicly confirm their news.
Members of the Royal Family – including the Queen and grandfather-to-be Prince Charles – were informed less than an hour before the statement was put out at 4pm yesterday.
Uncle-to-be Prince Harry, who is serving in Afghanistan, was told by email at his base and the announcement was also Tweeted by Clarence House, prompting the couple’s official website to crash. 

All the family declared themselves to be ‘delighted’ at the news.
It is believed that Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, became aware of their daughter’s news at the weekend, however.

She was staying with them in Berkshire when her condition deteriorated.
Speculation that she may be pregnant began last week when she unveiled a head-turning new haircut with a parted fringe as she visited the National History Museum in London.
But the drama really began when Kate went to stay with her parents on Friday after a  visit to her former preparatory school, St Andrew’s, just a few minutes’ drive away.

At the time, she had appeared in rude health, even taking to the hockey pitch in her high-heeled boots for a quick knock-about with students.
William had been spending the first part of the weekend privately with friends at a shooting party that Kate, for now obvious reasons, had declined to join.

When he finally met up with his wife, however, he became increasingly concerned at her condition – particularly her inability to keep down any food or water.

On Monday afternoon, fearing she could become dehydrated which could prove a risk to both her and their baby, and after consulting their doctor by phone, he decided drive her to London in their Range Rover.

Good sport: In this photo from last Friday the Duchess of Cambridge, plays hockey during her visit to St. Andrew's School, where she attended school from 1986 till 1995, in Pangbourne

The Duchess of Cambridge attends the official opening of The Natural History Museum's Treasures Gallery in London last week (left), and she was also photographed on an official tour of Cambridge (right)

The couple declined the offer of an ambulance and drove themselves to the London hospital, where William’s grandfather, Prince Philip, was hospitalised earlier this year.
By all accounts, the Duchess was in good spirits despite her condition and walked in unaided. Doctors diagnosed her with ‘hyperemesis gravidarum’, a form of acute morning sickness, which was making her vomit ‘round the clock’.
The palace said: ‘The Duchess was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in central London with hyperemesis gravidarum.

On duty: Prince Charles was visiting residents in St Asaph, Wales, whose homes were damaged by the recent flooding as the news of his first grandchild was announced

Short notice: It is understood that Prince Charles, Prince Harry and The Queen were only told of the baby news shortly before the announcement was made public

Princess Diana holds Prince William on his Christening day as Prince Charles looks on in 1982, pictured left, and Carole and Michael Middleton hold their daughter Kate on her Christening day in 1982

‘As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter.’
Royal mothers are usually looked after by the Queen’s gynaecologist – currently Alan Farthing, the former fiancé of murdered TV host Jill Dando.
The couple have made no secret of wanting to start a family. In an interview to mark their engagement, Kate, who is extremely close to her own parents and two siblings, revealed: ‘I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves.

Rumours: Prince William sparked speculation last week after accepting a babygro from a well-wisher in Cambridge

Family matters: Neither the Duke of Cambridge nor the Duchess of Cambridge have made a secret of their desire for children. Kate (left) is pictured meeting James William Davies in Cambridge just last week - and Prince William (right) was photographed holding a baby in April at Goldsmiths Hall in London

William has since said that he would love to have two children.

On Wednesday last week, the couple sparked rumours when Prince William was presented with - and accepted - a baby romper suit emblazoned with a picture of a helicopter and the words ‘Daddy’s little co-pilot’.
Smiling, the Prince, who is an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, took the suit and said: ‘I’ll keep that.’

VIDEO: All the latest on Kate and Williams surprise announcement! 

Delighted: Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted his congratulations

Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted to wish William and Katherine all the best

Well done: The Apprentice frontman Lord Sugar tweeted to say congratulations to the happy couple

Happy day: Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson said congratulations to the couple on Twitter

The royal couple had been visiting the city of Cambridge for the first time when new mother Samantha Hill, 27, from Sudbury, Suffolk, handed over the gift.
She said: 'I made it for when his little one comes along, he's a helicopter pilot so his baby will think his daddy is cool. When I gave it to him he said "I'll keep that" and handed it to his aide.'
A spokesman for the couple said that they were not in a position to confirm how many weeks pregnant the Duchess is – except that the pregnancy was in its ‘very early stages’.

Smiles: The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, embrace at the London 2012 Olympics

PREGNANCY IS PERFECT END TO QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE YEAR

News that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby marks the perfect way to round off the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
With the monarch having celebrated her historic 60 years on the throne, the fact that she now has a new great-grandchild on the way will ensure 2012 is even more poignant for her.
The baby will be of immense importance to the future of the monarchy - William and Kate’s baby will eventually be king or queen.

The news echoes back to the Silver Jubilee of 1977 when the Queen learned that her first grandchild was on its way.
The Princess Royal’s pregnancy was described at the time by the Palace as the best Jubilee present of all and Peter Phillips was born in the November of 1977.
The Cambridges’ baby will be the Queen’s third great grandchild. Her first Savannah was born to Peter and his wife Autumn in 2010.
Peter and Autumn had their own Jubilee baby Isla Elizabeth in March 2012 - her second name seemingly a touching tribute to her famous great-grandmother.
The hope and joy generated by William and Kate’s baby and the Diamond Jubilee, coupled with the Royal Wedding in 2011, signifies a markedly different period for the Royal Family compared with two decades ago.
Kate’s pregnancy announcement and the Jubilee come 20 years on from the Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’ year of 1992 when the Prince and Princess of Wales were at war, the Duke and Duchess of York had separated and Windsor Castle went up in flames.

But the Mail understands Kate was not pregnant during the couple’s tour of south-east Asia and the South Pacific in September.
The baby will be Prince Charles’s first grandchild – he already dotes on the Duchess of Cornwall’s five grandchildren – and the Queen’s third great-grandchild.
He or she will become third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and Prince William, making Prince Harry fourth.
A spokesman for the Royal Air Force (RAF), with which William serves, said: 'The RAF is delighted with the news and wishes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all the best for the future.'

Prince William and Kate pose in an engagement portrait in the Cornwall Room at St James's Palace in London in November 2010 (left) and on their wedding day in April 2011 (right)

That kiss: Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton embraced on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, following their wedding at Westminster Abbey in April 2011

BORN TO WEAR THE CROWN: THE LIFE WAITING FOR ROYAL BABY

The new royal baby will be born into one of the world’s most privileged families.
But what will life be like for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s little prince or princess?
William and Kate will do their utmost to give their son or daughter as normal an upbringing as possible. The Duke has often spoken of how important it was for him to be treated like everyone else.
He relished the time he spent away from the media at university and in the Armed Forces.
Kate too, although also from a wealthy background, has been praised for her down-to-earth approach.
The youngster will, however, grow up, just as William did, with the knowledge that they will one day wear the Crown.
A private education beckons and possibly a stint at boarding school. William went to Eton and Kate to Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
William called his father ‘papa’ and his mother ‘mummy’. He also had a childhood nanny - Tiggy Legge-Bourke - to whom he was very close, but it remains to be seen whether the Duke and Duchess will employ one.
The child’s milestones - from their first day at school to their first public engagement - may well be recorded by the media and a barrage of photographers just like William experienced.
Yet William and Kate could decide to keep all such things private in a bid to offer as much protection to their child as possible.
Their recent experience will have made them all the more wary of guarding their private lives.

Kate was pictured topless while sunbathing on holiday in a remote French chateau after being snapped by a photographer using a long lens.
Summer holidays will often be spent with the family in the Scottish countryside up at Balmoral - only for this youngster grandpa will also the Prince of Wales and their great-granny the Queen.

Christmases will partly be at Sandringham in Norfolk with the royals and trips to Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle will expose the youngsters to opulent surroundings.
Prince Harry will be a doting uncle while the Middletons too will play an important part in their life, with the Duchess being particularly close to her family, including sister Pippa.
Although the baby will be King or Queen, the prospect of them ruling as monarch is a long way off.

When Princess Elizabeth was a child, she was heir apparent by the time she was 10.
William and Kate’s baby has three generations of monarchs - the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke - before he or she will encounter the responsibility of wearing the crown.
At some stage, though, they can expect to be tutored on royal history and duties in preparation for their important future role.
Royal protection officers will always be close at hand while help from housekeepers and aides will be the norm.
The baby is also likely to experience a stint in the Armed Forces, particularly as a future head of the military.
William trained at Sandhurst and now serves as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot.
Even the Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945.
If the royal offspring follows his or her parents’ lead, they will also seek out a trusted inner circle of friends, ensuring their private lives are kept just that - private.

Friendly: Catherine is welcomed by children as she visits the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool in February

Prince William holds baby Sina Nuru in the new Winnicott Baby Unit at St Mary's Hospital in London in 2006 (left) and the couple (right) look at stuffed bears destined for children of military families in California in July 2011

WHEN THEY SAW THAT NEW HAIRDO, EVERY WOMAN KNEW

We knew already, you know. The cannier observers among us had already guessed a royal baby was on the way.
How? It was all thanks to Kate’s hair: her great symbol, the vehicle through which she speaks to her public. The instant many of us caught sight of last week’s new fringe we just knew.
Elizabeth I had her virginity, Queen Victoria her mourning garb, Elizabeth II her handbags. While, for Kate – like a female Samson – it is all about the locks. By her big and bouncy blow-dry, ye shall know her.
Psychologically, women tend to change their hair when there has been some radical shift in their lives. When we spotted the young Duchess hiding bashfully behind her new bangs, it was evident that a fresh era for Kate, her marriage, and her dynastic ambitions was being heralded.

Besides – as every woman who has endured one knows – a fringe takes work, whether her own or someone else’s. Forget Lupo. With this fringe was a woman surreptitiously signalling readiness for greater commitment. Not only this, but an uncharacteristic unruliness began to set in. As Elle editor and Daily Mail columnist Lorraine Candy tweeted: ‘A royal baby!! Yay. I knew it when her hair went all curly last week. Is first sign....’

Speculation that her new darker hue was down to infant-friendly vegetable dye only compounded matters. And who could blame the Duchess, who’s been suffering so badly with extreme morning sickness, for looking to her hairdresser for a perker-upper?

A new look could be just what the doctor ordered, if one is feeling rough as hell. It’s fascinating to see how Kate’s hair has changed with her state of mind – and indeed, her status. After all, when we first saw her, her mop was an unbrushed student straggle raddled by the St. Andrew’s wind.
As royal-in-waiting, Kate’s hair grew ever greater, ever glossier with each step nearer the throne. Her logic seemed to be: ‘If it’s full and fabulous enough, they’ll just have to put a tiara on it.’
The future, then, looks bright for those of us who treat Kate’s tresses as a spectator sport. If they have been big before, pregnancy’s hormonal surges can only render them bouncier.

Prince William, pictured greeting a small baby boy in Sydney, Australia, in 2010, has made no secret of his desire to be a father

Hello there: Prince William meets a baby at the Walsall Gala Baths, West Midlands, in May 2008

MARY, MATILDA, EDMUND OR GEORGE: WHAT WILL THE BABY'S NAME BE?

Bookmakers will be taking flurries of bets on what the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will choose to call the eagerly anticipated new Prince or Princess.
Speculation as to what they might name their first child began even before Kate was pregnant with predictions posted ranging from Mary and Matilda to Edmund and George on the mumsnet website before their wedding.
Their decision - be it traditional or unusual - will most likely set a trend for the next generation of babies.

'For the most part, members of the Royal Family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname, but if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor'
Monarchy's official website

Royal youngsters are mostly given safe, historical names which are passed down through the monarchy such as James, Edward, Charles, George, Mary and Elizabeth.
William and Kate will also be mindful of choosing a name that befits a future King or Queen. This royal baby will be born third in line to the throne.
If Kate gives birth to a girl, many will expect the Duke and Duchess to pay homage in some way to William's late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as to the Queen.
Likewise, the arrival of a boy could see a tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales or even Prince Harry. But the Cambridges are also likely to take inspiration from Kate's side of the family.
Royal children often boast an array of middle names - William's own being Arthur Philip Louis - so the couple are likely to pick several - offering them the chance to include a nod to both sets of relatives.

They also might incorporate a Welsh name to reflect their links to Wales, a name with historical connections to the city of Cambridge or perhaps something Scottish to represent the time they spent together in St Andrews.

Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran, the authors of Cool Names for Babies, already have their predictions on the babyzone website - posted before Kate was even pregnant.

Suggestions include Alice (the name of Queen Victoria's second daughter and also the Duke of Edinburgh's mother), Amelia (George II's second daughter), Dorothea (meaning gift of god) and Charlotte (wife of George III) for a girl and Augustus (George II's middle name), Frederick (a son of George III) or Leopold (a son of Queen Victoria).
If the baby is boy, he would be expected to be styled a Prince and if the baby was a girl, a Princess.
The last example of a great granddaughter of a still serving Sovereign born on the male line was Princess Mary, who was born in 1897 and was George VI's sister and a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
As to the child's surname, according to the monarchy's official website: 'For the most part, members of the Royal Family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname, but if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.'
In 1917, George V adopted Windsor as the royal family's House and surname. In 1960, for the direct descendants of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh who require a surname, it became Mountbatten-Windsor. Mountbatten was the surname Greek-born Prince Philip assumed when he became naturalised in 1947.
William has used Wales professionally in the forces. His children might use Cambridge in the same way, or even Wales too as William still retains his title Prince William of Wales.
If a boy, the baby is also likely to one day be Prince of Wales. The title is usually given to the male heir to the throne, but it is not automatic.

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