Kate Middleton baby plans include a mix of tradition, technology

When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby is born in mid-July, the announcement will follow long-held traditions of the British monarchy, with a nod to modern technology, according to multiple reports.

Queen Elizabeth II, the child's great-grandmother, will be apprised of the birth before the public, as will other members of both families. A palace staffer will hand a notice, signed by the medical team, to a driver who will take it from the hospital to Buckingham Palace, accompanied by police escort. There the birth details will be written on palace-embossed foolscap paper and mounted on an easel in the forecourt. Immediately, an announcement will go out on social media. As well, a 41-gun salute will commemorate the birth.

Prince William and mother-to-be Kate Middleton's spokesman said Wednesday that they do not know the baby's gender.

The British newspaper The Guardian said Middleton would deliver at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's hospital in London's Paddington district. Both William and his younger brother, Harry, were born there.