Royal watchers around the world are in baby countdown mode as the arrival of the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge draws near, but none are more dedicated that 69-year-old Margaret Turner.
The renowned royalist and collector — “named after Princess Margaret,” she’s quick to point out — has set up camp alongside camera crews and journalists near the entrance to hospital wing where Catherine is due to give birth.
Margaret has famously turned her Wembley home into a royal museum housing more than 10,000 collectibles, and she’s brought a bit of her enthusiastic royal decorating style to the site she’s set up for the wait for Kate’s baby.
Surrounded by Union flag fare, congratulatory signs, balloons (pink and blue options, just in case) and bags emblazoned with images from the royal wedding, Margaret and her partner-in-royal watching Terry Hutt will wait outside the Paddington hospital for “as long as it takes”.
Margaret and Terry have two cards ready for a baby Prince or Princess.
“I’ve been watching the television but I just had to be in the atmosphere, it’s an enormous occasion,” the Margaret tellsThe Weekly.
The royal watcher isn’t making any guesses as to whether the baby will be a boy or girl, what the name will be, or even when the new prince or princess will arrive, but whenever that is she’ll be ready to celebrate with tea in hand.
“I’ll drink a lot of tea!” she says.
“There’ll be champagne on the go, of course, but I’m not a drinker. I’ll just be so happy for the family.”
A new specially-made cabinet has just been installed in Margaret’s home to display the royal baby memorabilia she’ll be purchasing to celebrate its arrival, adding to the “bits and bobs” she’s already collected.
So why does the self-acclaimed most dedicated royal watcher think the royal baby is so special?
“It’s William and Catherine, isn’t it,” she says.
“Catherine is the face of the royal family now, and I think the Queen — her majesty — is very pleased with them.”
“It’s a big thing isn’t it and she’ll be so pleased when it’s over. Whether it’s going to be a boy or girl it’s going to be the future king or queen of England so I mean no pressure there.”
Margaret will have to break from baby watch duties to attend the Queen’s Coronation Gala festival at Buckingham Palace on Sunday and she’ll be spending the nights in a nearby apartment she has decorated with some of her royal memorabilia collection and equipped with a telescope facing the hospital in case anything happens.
They’re also ready to celebrate when the young royal family move into Kensington Palace.
But 59-year-old Terry will spend as many nights as it takes camping out waiting for the arrival.
Terry is ready to welcome the royal baby whenever it arrives, and whether it’s a boy or girl.
“What I’ve done is I’ve got two cards, one for a boy and one for a girl, because we just don’t know,” he tellsThe Weekly.
“You hear people say boy or girl, but what I want to see is a healthy baby. It’s their first baby, this is special.”
The Weekly has joined the countdown on the ground and will be bringing you all the latest royal baby news live from London.
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