Royal enthusiasts are eagerly waiting on the footpath of St Mary’s Hospital in London, many trying to predict the gender of the baby which will be fourth in line to the British throne.
“Could be a boy – I’ve changed my mind. I think it’s going to be a girl,” said one devotee
“I’d like a girl but I think William would like a girl as well,” said another.
Economist Michael Ingram said the birth of this Royal baby will contribute to the UK economy, just as its sibling Prince George did.
“At the time of the birth of Prince George two years ago, the Centre for Retail Research estimated that that birth would give something like a £243 million [$A470 million] boost to the UK economy. I think we can expect a similar sort of figure this time around.”
But the boost is unlikely to have a major impact.
“Given that the UK economy [is worth] £1.9 trillion ($A3.7 trillion) I would probably say though welcome, it’s not going to be more than, dare I say it, a useful bump.”
As a younger sibling to Prince George, this baby will find itself in a similar place as Prince Harry.
Royal Historian, Hugh Vickers said siblings of the heir apparent have struggled with succession for centuries.
“I think the difficulty is just that one thing, that you never quite know if you’re going to be called upon, as it were, to become King or instead have, what you, if you’re being really cynical, could say a relatively pointless life.”
Prince Harry has often found himself at the forefront of Royal scandals but Royal Photographer, Arthur Edwards, said despite Harry’s faults, he has his good points.
“He might be the spare to the heir but he’s made himself very relevant.”
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