Anticipation grew ever stronger on Monday after the weekend came and went which many had expected to see the birth of the royal baby,

The British press had wrongly predicted that Prince William’s firstborn with Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, would arrive on Saturday. The bookmaker William Hill tipped Sunday as the likely date, while Paddy Power offered equal odds on Sunday and Monday.

Dozens of bleary-eyed photographers and cameramen have stood guard around the clock on royal baby watch outside St. Mary's Hospital in London in what has perhaps proved England’s biggest news since the 2011 royal wedding, or maybe the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The royal family has given no official due date, saying only the baby is expected in mid-July, leaving Brits to play their own guessing game.

mkg/ccp (AFP, AP)