Duchess Kate went through a royal labour

Prince William's wife Kate was in labour in hospital on Monday as the world awaited the birth of a royal baby that will one day be heir to the British throne.

A global frenzy over the arrival of a new generation of British royalty reached fever pitch as the 31-year-old couple took up their plush London hospital suite for the birth.

The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted just after 6:00 am (0500 GMT), but nearly 12 hours later there was still no news for the hundreds of international media camped outside.

The baby will be third in line to the throne and in the direct line of succession after Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son and heir Prince Charles, and then his eldest son William.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends a ceremony to officially name Princess Cruises's new ship 'Royal Princess'. (AFP)

"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," Kensington Palace said in a statement.

"Things are progressing as normal," a spokesman said.

The queen's return to Buckingham Palace from Windsor Castle outside London on Monday afternoon prompted a brief flurry of speculation that the baby had been born, but it then died down.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge waves as she arrives on her visit to The Willows Primary School. (AFP)

The baby will be third in line for the British throne — behind Prince Charles and William — and is anticipated eventually to become king or queen.

Click to see gallery of Duchess of Cambridge: From Prince's beauty to Royal Mummy

Officials have said that William plans to take two weeks' paternity leave and then return to his military duties as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in Wales.

His tour of duty is scheduled to wrap up around September, and he and Kate are expected to move from their isolated cottage on the island of Anglesey off the coast of Wales to Kensington Palace in central London.

But major refurbishment works at the palace likely won't be finished until at least a month or two after the infant is born — meaning that William and Kate will most likely have to make do with their current temporary home in London, a two-bedroom property at the palace.

Come autumn, however, the family will be able to move into their permanent London home, Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace — a four-story house with a nursery, 20 rooms and a private garden.
 

Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London. (AFP)

The medical team will be led by royal gynaecologist Dr Marcus Setchell.

The child will be the first for William and Kate, who married in 2011 after a long courtship.

Duchess of Cambridge (AP)

Meanwhile, As the "Great Kate Wait" continues, here are 10 things you might not have known about the little future monarch:

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, meets scouts during at the National Review of Queen's Scouts at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, near London. (REUTERS)

1) Genealogists say the baby will be distantly related to Dracula, the 15th century prince who inspired Bram Stoker's famous vampire. Experts have also traced the family tree back to an Islamic sultan who is believed to be descended from the Prophet Mohammed.

Britain's Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrive with Prince Harry (R) at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in London June 4, 2013. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II returns to the scene of her coronation on Tuesday to mark a reign that has weathered six decades of social transformation and the end of her country's global empire. (REUTERS)

2) Finland has gifted William and Kate with a special baby box received by all expectant mothers in the Nordic country, which includes infant clothing, bra pads and even condoms.

Catherine, The Duchess Of Cambridge (Photo by Getty Images)

3) By custom, earlier royal births were witnessed by the interior minister, in order to ensure that the heir was legitimate. Luckily for Kate, this tradition ended in 1936.

4) The baby does not necessarily need to have a surname - but if William and Kate want it to have one, they can choose between Mountbatten-Windsor, Wales and Cambridge.

5) World landmarks including Niagara Falls, Toronto's CN Tower and the fountains at London's Trafalgar Square will turn pink or blue to celebrate the birth, depending on whether it is a girl or boy.

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, speaks during an evening reception to celebrate the work of the charity at the National Portrait Gallery in London. (AP)

6) The journalists camped outside Kate's hospital are almost crying with boredom after a three-week wait, but it was a different story when William was born in 1982. His mother Princess Diana fooled the press by telling them her son was due on July 1 - he arrived 10 days earlier, catching the newspapers completely off guard.

7) You can place your bets on everything from the baby's name to what its hair colour will be. The bookmakers' favourite names are Alexandra for a girl and George for a boy. But you could win big if William and Kate opt for Prince Wayne, which has odds of 500/1.

8) The baby already has its own Wikipedia page entitled "Child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge".

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (REUTERS)

9) Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard was pictured in Women's Weekly magazine knitting a toy kangaroo for the royal baby.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Getty Images)

10) Football superstar David Beckham has suggested that the royal couple should name their baby after him. "I think they should go for David," he said in an interview this week, adding: "If it's a boy."

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