Royal Baby Watch: Windsor—And the World—Holds Its Breath
With Meghan now several days past her due date, anticipation is mounting as the world waits with her for the arrival of baby Sussex. Royal fans around the globe are eagerly refreshing their social media feeds hoping to hear that she has gone into labor as both British and international media are poised to spring into action as soon as an announcement is made.
While the birth will be reported all over the world, the focus for the event is the picturesque Berkshire town of Windsor. This is where Harry and Meghan live in newly-renovated Frogmore Cottage and where they will make their first appearance with their newborn who will be seventh in line to the throne. Some journalists have already began to assemble in the area, poised to set up in a media position on the Long Walk near Windsor Castle as soon as any news is announced.
In the meantime, reports on royal memorabilia being sold nearby, restaurants and pubs running royal baby themed competitions, bookmakers' odds, and any other relevant information are filed from cafes or broadcast from hotel rooms or the street.
In many ways, this is identical to the scenario that took place ahead of the births of the three Cambridge children. However, Harry and Meghan are doing things differently and so the build-up to this baby’s birth also has a slightly different feel.
Media in the town are currently far more dispersed than when the focal point was the very specific setting of the Lindo Wing building with its one cafe teeming with reporters charging their phones and laptops. Tourist hot-spot Windsor is full of people every day, but there is no sense that crowds have grown because of royal baby anticipation.
Royal super fan Terry Hutt made a brief appearance, but he and fellow enthusiasts are not camped anywhere to get a good position because, after all, there will be nothing for them to see. For now, it does feel like the couple’s request for privacy surrounding the details of the birth has made any build-up on the ground just a little bit less frenzied.
Maud Garmy, royal correspondent for the French weekly magazine Voici, probably sets the record for the journalist who has spent the longest in Windsor without leaving. She arrived in the town on April 22 so she would be sure not to miss any announcement.
“I am almost able to write a tourist guide to Windsor,” Maud quips to T&C. “I’ve been trying every restaurant, every pub, so I know it quite well now.”
About the anticipation, she says, “The Sussexes want privacy around this. We have to respect that. It’s their lives, her body, their choices. It’s totally understandable.” But, she adds, “I kind of liked that atmosphere at the Lindo because we could feel it was a national celebration.”
Once any announcement is made, the atmosphere is likely to change significantly. However, for now it seems that a sense of relative calm is the order of the day, including over at Frogmore Cottage where Meghan is said to be relaxed as she waits with husband Harry and mum Doria. Elsewhere, the world waits with them.
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