As the wait for the royal baby lengthens and the world’s media remain camped out the front of St Mary’s hospital Lindo Wing where the little prince or princess is due to make their arrival with little to report but guesswork, some are beginning to question: Who cares?
The great Kate wait has been touted as a media obsession by Reuters today, but tourist groups beginning to flock to the entrance of the private wing where the Duchess of Cambridge is due to deliver confirm there is outside interest.
The question is, who in London, apart from the patient press pack, is interested in the impending royal arrival, and where better to find the answer than a black cab.
Eddie Whitman has been driving visitors and locals around the nation’s royal capital in his taxi for over seven years, and says tourist interest in the royal family has never been higher than the past few weeks.
The 35-year-old driver says that while he overhears an awful lot, talk of royal affairs and the Duchess of Cambridge’s impending delivery has dominated in-cab conversation of late.
“It started with the wedding really, but especially over the past couple of weeks, everyone asks about Kate and the baby,” he says.
So where does the interest come from?
“It’s the Americans, mainly,” Eddie says.
“Then Australian and Canadian tourists, but I guess they have more of a connection to the monarchy,” he says of visitors from the Commonwealth nations.
”Locals have some interest, but I guess they get their information from the daily newspapers so they’re not as inclined to ask.”
Interest in the royal family was renewed since Kate and William’s wedding in 2011, but it’s the royal baby that has put some locations on tourists’ must-see schedules.
“Over the past week or so I’ve never had so many people wanting to go to Buckingham Palace, because I guess that’s the closest you can get to whatever’s going on with the baby.”
Eddie had his first ever (non-emergency) request for a fare to St Mary’s hospital in Paddington from a Kiwi couple recently, and says a pair of Canadians had told him they planned on extending their stay in London in the hope to be around when the royal baby is born.
Tour groups have begun to make their way to the Lindo wing, joining reporters and camera crews soaking up the atmosphere surrounding the wait for the newest addition to the royal family to make his or her arrival.
Royal watchers have flocked from all over the world to get in on the royal baby action.
“In Tokyo the royal baby is in the news every day, so I wanted to see it and celebrate for myself,” a Japanese tourist at the hospital told The Telegraph.
“This is a very special event to be a part of. We saw on the TV that the media was waiting here and of course we were curious so we’ve come to take a look,” said Mattias Rave of Germany.
Those unable to make it down to the Lindo Wing can always catch the latest goings on from royal baby HQ in online via The Telegraph’s live royal baby watch or The Sun’s royal baby monitor.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all your royal baby news from Liz Burke in London.
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