Paparazzi set up camp ahead of birth of royal baby

Eager paparazzi are setting up camp outside a London maternity hospital - desperate for a peak at the royal baby - despite the fact that she is not due to give birth until mid-month.

A forest of ladders and tripods has sprung up outside the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, where several broadcasters have begun a 24-hour vigil.

The birth will be a global news sensation -- especially given the popularity of William and Kate, whose glittering wedding in 2011 was watched by an estimated two billion people worldwide.

The pavement outside the hospital is covered with tape marking out the territory claimed by rival outlets, but the dozens of ladders will remain mostly unmanned until Kate goes into labour.