Royal baby in numbers: The pomp, protocol and pregnancy

An Italian TV journalist reports from outside St Mary's Hospital in London, England (Getty Images)

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, is in labour and as the world’s media decamps outside the hospital, here is the royal birth in numbers.

£12,000: It costs £4,965 for the ‘delivery package at the Lindo wing, which includes one night stay. An extra night in a deluxe room costs £1,050 and consultants fees can come up to £6000. So that’s nearing a £12,000 total.

1948: The last time the Home Secretary would have been required to attend a royal birth to ensure no illegitimate newborns were smuggled in to replace the true ‘heir to the throne’.

312-years-old. The age of the succession law changed by parliament to allow the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first child to become Queen if it is a girl.

£240 million: the bump the royal baby will give to the British economy, according to Reuters.

120 years ago: the last time a serving monarch met a great-grandchild born in such direct succession to the throne.

41: the number of guns in the salute that will accompany the royal birth, fired as a sign of respect to the salubrious sprog.

16: the number of countries the royal baby will one day be head of state of

7/1: the odds that the royal baby will be ginger.

4th: Harry’s ranking in line to the throne once the royal baby is born.

1st July: when Princess Diana told the press that William would be born. He was actually due ten days earlier, and his birth caught the papers completely off guard.