The Duchess of Cambridge will deliver her baby in one of the most exclusive private maternity facilities in Britain.
In the past the birth of a future king or queen was a pretty crowded affair, with privy counsellors and ladies-in-waiting cramming into an adjoining palace room, ears trained for the distinctive cries signifying the arrival of a newborn.
So the duchess will be grateful that times have changed as she delivers her first child in the privacy of the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital in Paddington, west London, in mid-July.
Times have changed in other ways too. Formerly the sex of an heir to the throne was crucially important. William and Kate profess not to know the sex of their firstborn, choosing not to learn beforehand. But now the government is changing the act of succession, it is of no constitutional importance. Girl or boy – one day the child will reign.
The duchess will have a suite in the Lindo Wing that is more hotel than labour ward. The price for a suite is upon application but a deluxe room requires a £5,500 deposit for a normal delivery package and £7,500 for a caesarean, all excluding consultants' fees and with £1,000 for each extra 24 hours stayed.
The Lindo Wing is a favourite with the royals. William and Harry were born there, as were their cousins Peter and Zara Phillips. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent also chose it for the births of their children. Its brochure boasts of "providing the best private obstetric and neonatal care for mothers and their babies since 1937".
There are individual birthing rooms and a birthing pool. Each room has satellite TV, radio, internet, daily newspaper and a safe. An extensive menu is offered with a comprehensive wine list "should you wish to enjoy a glass of champagne and toast your baby's arrival".
The Duke of Cambridge intends to be at his wife's bedside at the hospital, which is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust, unlike his grandfather Prince Philip, who played squash during Charles's birth, another indication of changing times. Also present will be the Queen's obstetrician and gynaecologist team of Marcus Setchell and Alan Farthing, who was the fiance of murdered BBC presenter Jill Dando.
It was Queen Victoria who banished the circus of privy counsellors and others when the then Princess Mary gave birth to the future Edward VIII in 1894, declaring the presence of one cabinet minister would suffice to attest no changeling had been smuggled into the palace in a warming pan – a popular suspicion regarding James II's son and often cited as the reason for the practice of having a cabinet minister on hand.
Thereafter the home secretary of the day would be dispatched. Theresa May owes much to the present Queen who, before the birth of Prince Charles, made an official announcement stating that, as the attendance of a minister of the crown at a royal birth was neither a statutory requirement nor a constitutional necessity, the practice would be discontinued.
Not all traditions have been abandoned, however, and when the royal baby does arrive, the palace machine swings into action.
The first indication those outside the hospital will have that the baby has been born is when a royal aide, carrying the all-important delivery bulletin signed by the medical team, rushes out of the building and hands it to a driver waiting outside.
The car, with police outriders, will then speed towards Buckingham Palace. Protocol dictates that the Queen and other family members are informed before any announcement of sex and other particulars are publicly posted.
After this details of the addition to "the Firm" will be written on Buckingham Palace-headed foolscap and mounted on an easel in the palace forecourt – the same easel on which William's arrival was proclaimed – before palace staff press a button to disseminate the tidings electronically.
Royal births are registered in the ordinary way, though the home secretary traditionally notifies important officials in Britain, including the lord mayor of London, and officials in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Governors general overseas are generally informed by the Queen's private secretary.
Destined for a lifetime of photocalls, the baby is likely to make its debut on the steps of the hospital on departure, though exactly how much will be visible remains to be seen. Thereafter it is customary for photographs to be released in the early weeks.
As to a name, it depends. It took Charles and Diana several days to announce William's name, though Harry was named immediately.
There has been speculation that Kate may stay with her family in Berkshire immediately after the birth, but royal aides are refusing to comment on the couple's movements, except to say that William, an RAF search-and-rescue helicopter pilot, will be taking the MoD's statutory paternity entitlement of two weeks.
As a royal salute of 41 guns is fired to mark the occasion, there will undoubtedly be congratulatory resolutions in the Lords and Commons.
It remains to be seen if any member will take their cue from Keir Hardie, the Scottish socialist and first Independent Labour MP, whose lack of enthusiam for the birth of the future Edward VIII was recorded in the Manchester Guardian under the headline "The Birth of a Prince. Extraordinary Speech by Mr J K Hardie."
The report continued that Hardie, his words almost drowned out by cries of "Oh, Oh", declared he owed no allegiance to any heriditary rulers and the resolution "elevated to undue importance an event of everyday occurence".
