Thirty one years ago, William was born at the same London hospital. The echoes of history are a comfort for William after the pain of losing his mother, says royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. “William is a very proud father to have his son born at the same hospital he was. Regarding the future he’s absolutely determined that Kate will face certain pressures in a balanced way, that’s the way it’s been handled so far and it’s been done excellently," he said.

Kensington Palace, William’s childhood home, will be the new base for the royal baby. $1.5 million has been spent renovating one of the apartments. It has twenty-one rooms, including a drawing room, staff quarters and a nursery fit for a future king.

Despite agreements from the British media to respect the family’s privacy, the baby’s upbringing will be far from normal, says royal author Phil Dampier.

“Even if you managed to avoid the paparazzi and went for a walk in the park, there’s always likely to be a member of the public you’re going to bump into who wants to take a picture. So it’s going to be extremely difficult to get any privacy. Fortunately you’ve got the Royal residences. And then of course Kate’s got her family home with her parents in Berkshire," he said.

And the Middleton family home is where William and Kate are likely to take their son in the coming days, away from the media glare and with the extra care of his grandparents.