Princess Charlene of Monaco arrives in hospital to give birth

Princess Charlene of Monaco has arrived in hospital and is expected to deliver her twins in the next few hours, HELLO! Online's sister publication HOLA! has confirmed. The pregnant royal was admitted to the Princess Grace Hospital earlier on Wednesday.

Charlene, 36, is reportedly having a Caesarean, marking the first time that she and her husband Prince Albert, 56, will become parents.

The couple announced that they were pregnant in May, with the royal palace releasing a statement that said the birth would happen at the end of the year.



><img alt=VIEW GALLERY

This will be Prince Albert and Princess Charlene's first children

Albert has previously revealed that he does not know the gender of his babies.

"The princess probably knows but she is playing the game," he told the Monaco Matin newspaper. "She is keeping the secret as I asked her to.

"You know, one doesn't often have the opportunity to have such pleasant surprises in life, that is why I prefer not to know the babies' gender before the birth."


><img alt=VIEW GALLERY

Prince Albert revealed that he does not know the gender of his babies

At the time, the prince said that his wife was due to give birth around Christmas, but would probably deliver a few days early given their double joy.

The leader of the principality also cleared up the issue of succession. "In the case that one is a girl and the other a boy, it will be the boy," Albert said of his heir.

The royal palace also released details about how the birth of Albert and Charlene's twins will be celebrated in Monaco.

"In celebration of the joyous arrival of these two children, and without distinction, forty-two cannon shots (twenty-one for each child) shall be fired from the Fort Antoine and church bells shall ring for fifteen minutes, followed by boat horns," the statement read.

The announcement added that an official proclamation signed by Monaco's sovereign Prince Albert will confirm the birth of the twins and will be displayed at the entrance to the Prince's Palace. At a later day the couple will present their new arrivals to the people of Monaco.

More on: