Prince William Working Extra Hard Prior to Paternity Leave, Security Sweeps Being Conducted at Hospital

"William worked Saturday and Sunday and is trying to get in as many shifts as possible," ahead of the royal baby's birth a source tells E! News

By Peter Gicas, Melanie Bromley Jul 08, 2013 3:40 PMTags
Prince WilliamFame Pictures

Prince William isn't letting a little thing like impending fatherhood get in the way of doing his job.

In fact, it's actually pushing the Duke of Cambridge to put in even more time than usual as a search-and-rescue pilot at RAF Valley in Anglesey.

"William worked Saturday and Sunday and is trying to get in as many shifts as possible before he goes on paternity leave," a source tells E! News. "He wants to work as hard as he can to help everyone out. He has not slowed down at all. He's a really hard worker."

Meanwhile, as wife Kate Middleton's due date gets closer and closer, a helicopter landed on the field right next to the royal couple's home in Wales on Friday.

By having the helicopter on stand-by, it will allow Will to get to London in about 90 minutes (as opposed to almost five hours by car), when the Duchess of Cambridge goes into labor. Our source does not believe Kate is with Will at the moment.

Upon going into labor, Kate will be taken to St. Mary's Hospital, where police have been doing security sweeps.

In addition to Will, Kate's sister, Pippa, and their mom Carole are expected to be in the delivery room as well.

Once the royal baby is born, though, there could be a change in tradition in terms of how Queen Elizabeth II is informed.

While it is general protocol for the queen to be notified via an official hand-delivered notice to Buckingham Palace, her grandson may decide to call her on an encrypted phone instead, the Daily Mail reports.

The couple's private secretary will then inform Prime Minister David Cameron, among others, and an official notice announcing the baby's birth will be placed at Buckingham Palace's gates to alert the public.