At R150 000 a pop, delivery suite is not too shabby chic
WITH Kate Middleton’s baby due any hour, what can she expect at the Lindo wing of London’s St Mary’s Hospital, where the royal baby is expected to be delivered?
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Anna Maxted, who gave birth to all three of her children in the Lindo wing of the Paddington hospital, said the cost of £10 000 (about R150 000) per birth was worth it, despite the less-than-glamorous view.
“My large room, best described as shabby chic, looked on to a brick wall. It was forensically clean but basic, despite the TV and en suite (although the unit has since undergone refurbishment)”, she writes.
“We were paying for personal, consistent, consultantled, exquisite care; unparalleled medical expertise — that is, peace of mind. We got it.”
On Friday, the expectant father’s stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, said she and Prince Charles were “very excited” and “immense- ly looking forward to” the royal birth. But, reported The Times, Kate “was nowhere near going into labour”.
Camilla and Charles are not the only ones excited about the impending royal birth. BookiesWilliam Hill said that betting on the baby’s name,
The heavy betting suggests the royal baby will be a girl
gender and delivery time had reached record levels — with most punters backing it to be born this weekend.
The Daily Telegraph has published a royal baby sweepstake and the Washington Post has developed a royal baby-name generator. The Daily Mirror has published 96 royal baby name ideas based on what punters have bet on — including Chardonnay (250/1), Psy (5 000/1), Arsene (500/1) and Tulisa (500/1).
The heavy betting suggests the royal baby will be a girl and Alexandra, Charlotte, Diana, Elizabeth and Victoria are the favourite names.
In case of a son, the betting is on the name James — the name of Kate’s younger brother, according to one Ladbrokes bookmakers.
It has since collapsed the odds from 20/1 to 6/1.
Should James be the couple’s chosen name for their son, the firm will pay out the most money in winnings, to the tune of £30 000.
The Royal Mint is putting its money on England’s patron saint. It is preparing a new £5 silver coin to mark the birth — bearing a “St George and Dragon” design.
The mint yesterday confirmed it was part of its plans to mark one of the most eagerly anticipated moments of the summer. The new coin will be a silver version of an existing gold sovereign coin featuring Italian engraver Benedetto Pistrucci’s design, first used in 1817. The mint said the original design was a “masterpiece”. It was used on a special limited edition Diamond Jubilee coin last year.
“The Royal Mint’s plan is to announce it will be bringing out the silver coin when the royal baby is born,” a source said.
The Royal Mint has already revealed plans to hand out a “lucky” silver penny to the parents of every baby born on the same day as the new prince or princess.
Stores across the UK have already brought out commemorative products, from bibs and biscuit tins to doughnuts. — ©