William and Kate’s big day approaches
With just days, or possibly hours, to go before the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s second child, the media and members of the public have begun a vigil outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in West London. Amongst them 79 year-old pensioner Terry Hutt (pictured above), from Weston-Super-Mare, who has se up camp on a wooden bench outside the hospital. In 2013 Mr. Hutt spent thirteen days on the exact same bench waiting for the birth of Prince George.
Mr. Hutt, who has become known as ‘The Union Jack Man,’ joked: “”My wife tells me I’m mad. I have a waterproof outfit, a tarpaulin over the bench, decorated with union jacks. We call it the royal bench.” His royalist enthusiasm dates back to the early days of WWII and The Blitz when, aged four, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited his parents in London. With his 80th birthday on 30 April it is possible that Mr. Hutt and the latest addition to the Cambridge family will be sharing a day of celebration.
However, the best laid plans of even the most ardent royalist will be derailed if Kate, who is staying at Kensington Palace a short drive from St. Mary’s, goes into labour when she is at Amner Hall in Norfolk or visiting her family in Bucklebury. Local hospitals have been put on standby just in case. One thing that does seem certain is that William will be present at the birth having finished his Air Ambulance training early, which means he is entitled to six weeks paternity leave.
