kate middleton

Britain awoke to the exciting news this morning that Kate Middleton had finally been admitted to hospital after going into labour.

After several false rumours in the last 10 days, a statement came from Kensington Palace at 7.30am this morning that read:

"Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted this morning to St Mary's hospital, Paddington, London, in the early stages of labour. The duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo wing at St Mary's hospital with the Duke of Cambridge."

A spokesman has since added that "things are progressing as normal". We will be bringing all the latest updates live over the course of the day as things progress:

The British media got very excited last week when rumours started going round that Kate Middleton had gone into labour. On Friday afternoon, Twitter was awash with claims she had moved to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, and, inevitably, blogs and national papers soon followed suit.

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It turned out that none of it was true, but it has led to fevered speculation about when the royal baby is due. The fact is that other than the royal family and a few doctors, no one really knows. Despite repeated attempts to find out from reporters, the couple and their spokespeople have remained tight-lipped.

However, there have been a few clues dropped. Earlier this year, whilst she was meeting the public, Kate let slip that she was due around "mid-July". This led many to guess that the baby was due this weekend just gone. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, gave an even clearer indication yesterday though, revealing:

"We don't know what's going to happen. We're all waiting at the end of a telephone. I hope by the end of the week he or she will be there."

ForeignStudents writer Erik gives his opinion on two of last week's hot topics- Kate Middleton's pregnancy and the a controversial front cover of the New York Post. 

Kate Middleton and the Royal Family

Although the British sovereign does not use their power like previously in history, the monarchy still deserves respect. In the past many competent kings and queens helped Britain to become the strongest country in the world, which it really was until the second half of the 20th century.

Today, the goodwill towards the Royal Family lives off the achievements of their predecessors and their power now is merely ceremonial. However, they must still be careful in their private lives, because every single step is followed by the public.

Still, the royal family is a popular subject for the media, which is constantly lurking for gossip and scandals. I think that Kate's pregnancy will top the headlines for several weeks, or even months. On the one hand it reflects that people are interested in the condition of the Duchess, but on the other hand, she and her husband are only human and deserve privacy. Not to mention that the couple significantly contribute to the integrity of the monarchy and do not deserve too much rumour. Let the Prince continue in his career as a helicopter pilot and do not disturb the mother-to-be.

The Royal family have announced that the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton is pregnant. After marrying Prince William in a huge national celebration in April 2011, speculation has been rife as to when their first child would be announced.

A spokesman for St James's Palace said she is currently in hospital due to severe morning sickness and is expected to stay for at least a few days, but that the royal family are delighted about the pregnancy. 

Details are vague at the moment, though expect to hear much, much more about baby, who is likely to one day become the King or Queen of England. He or she will be third in line to the throne.

The statement from the palace revealed:

"Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby."

"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news."

It also downplayed the fact that the expecting mother is in hospital, explaining:

"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."