Prince William, Kate's Royal baby news leads to hysteria, humour & media frenzy

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine (Kate) have fewer things to worry about now that they have announced they are expecting their first child.

A day after breaking the news, the couple, popularly known as WillKate, received advice from world media and the public regarding what to call the offspring, what he/she/they will look like, what to wear during pregnancy and even what the child was thinking in the womb.

In an instant reminder of the goldfish bowl of attention the next generation of royals are destined to live in, newspapers splashed the story across their front pages Tuesday and filled column after column with news, views and speculation.

The Independent newspaper's commentator John Walsh praised the royal family's "impeccable" timing, temporarily diverting attention from UK's battle with debt and economic stagnation and a blazing row over press regulation.

Tabloid newspapers will relish the chance to cover every twist and turn of the pregnancy and birth, and they have not held back in their opening salvoes.

The Sun, Britain's biggest-selling daily newspaper, gave a lengthy account of the announcement, concluding with a bizarre photo-montage of what a royal heir might look like.

Not to be outdone, the royalty-obsessed Daily Mail dedicated its first 13 pages to the topic of the couple, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and their baby. Online, it ran an analysis comparing two mock-ups of the yet-to-be-born child.

Washington-based Joe Mullins produced celebrity-style "beauty" shots, while the MorphThing website came up with significantly less flattering images.

However, amidst the light-hearted conjecture and celebrity-style gushing, there is the more serious issue of Kate's health. Kate is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a severe morning sickness which experts said did not put the baby at any increased risk but was more common in mothers expecting twins.

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