News of a royal birth is imminent – in just two days Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is expected to give birth. In the minds and on the lips of most Brits and other anglophiles, the question beggars over and over: what will the sex of the possible future heir to the throne be?

The sex of the baby is yet unknown but what the Duke and Duchess have divulged to appease the kingdom is that they neither, just like the rest of us, know whether they will have a baby boy or baby girl. No gender test has been undertaken by the royal couple and they have not requested the sonographer to confirm the sex of their child, although the leaked ultrasound images have been transformed into works of art or prenatal portraits.

The Royal family has always been a fascinating facet of British culture. The British themselves have always loved their royal family, the blood line continuity which is one single, long story that constantly unfolds as new monarchs take over. Unlike politics and the ever changing political scene, the royal family holds an enthralling attribute that indeed make the British the people who probably most love their royal family.

The Duchess: Some facts about the pregnancy

Catherine Middleton, 31 years of age, bestowed with the title of Duchess following her marriage to Prince William, is due to give birth on the 11th of July. The child is of course no ordinary child, the child of royalty and of an ancient blood line will in fact be referred to as his or her royal highness the prince of princess of Cambridge. Quite a title for a baby!! It was her majesty herself who decreed that the son or daughter of the Duke and Duchess should be styled in this way.

St Mary’s Hospital

This is where the prince of princess will be born. The hospital has already become something like a place for a pilgrimage. Regular people and the press have already started camping outside in hope of being the first to witness the birth, as close as possible to the Duchess herself. Of course nobody can get much closer than waiting outside as the hospital gates as the hospital has in fact been closed, all patients have been relocated to other hospitals and the entire hospital’s security upped to ensure there are no threats whatsoever. The only patient in St Mary’s will be the Duchess.

The sex of the baby

The British monarchy does not require that a male inherits the title. Females can inherit the title and become queens. This has been so for many hundreds of years (and most of us might remember that Elizabeth I had in fact become Queen despite her being female as is the case with Elizabeth II). The difference is that till not long ago, the birth of a male would have always taken precedence over the birth of a female, even if the female child was first born. So in the past, a male heir would have always inherited the crown, irrespective of birth order.

Her majesty has however changed this. At a summit in Perth, she declared a few years back, that succession rules where to be changed and the first born child, whether male or female would inherit the crown.

If Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gives birth to a baby girl this child will one day be queen, irrespective of whether the Duchess gives birth to any other children, male or female thereafter.