KATE MIDDLETON’S July 11 due date is still almost two weeks away, but the royal baby frenzy is already well under way outside St. Mary’s Hospital in London, where the Duchess of Cambridge is expected to give birth.

    Photographers and other members of the media started setting up camp across the street from the hospital Monday in anticipation of the headline- and history-making delivery.

    An eyewitness told Us Weekly that a bay of parking spaces outside the hospital had been closed off with signs saying it’s reserved for an “event” spanning July 1 to July 31.

    Middleton, 31, is due to give birth to her first child with Prince William on July 11, but as she herself noted in April, “babies have their own agenda.” Should she go into labor early, a helicopter will fly her to St. Mary’s, where she hopes to give birth naturally, a source revealed to Us Weekly.

    In any case, news of the royal baby’s birth will be revealed via a framed announcement placed on a wood and gold easel behind the gates of Buckingham Palace. “There will be gun salutes, flag flying, and bell pealing,” a palace aide told Us. “It’s very exciting.”

    The aide also promised that the royal couple would pose for pictures with their newborn when they left the hospital.

    “While it is a deeply personal and private event, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge realize this is a time of national celebration and that there will be vast interest in the baby,” a source told Us in June.

    “They realize many people will want to share in their happiness.”(SD-Agencies)