So the young prince is finally here. And there’s nothing like the promise of a new life, especially one with royal blood, to lift the spirits.

Ardent royal fan James Marston can hardly contain his excitement.

I must admit I’ve been glued to the news even more than usual.

I’ve been waiting and checking and wondering and at one point I even considered popping down to join the media scrum in London – apparently it reached an incredible 700 strong.

It is so exciting isn’t it? For us journalists it is irresistible – a young, attractive, rich and titled couple with a baby. For us royalists it is also hugely important, the arrival of the next sovereign.

It is life changing and life enhancing and the Duke and Duchess show every sign that they will make wonderful parents.

It isn’t going to be easy.

This baby will grow up in the ever increasing media glare. He will be feted and watched, his every move scrutinised and as he grows up every success and indiscretion will be recorded and examined and talked about.

Fame and all the trouble and advantages that can bring will be a constant companion – there is no other choice and no other option.

We’ve seen it all before.

The young Princess Elizabeth, now our much-loved Queen, drew crowds and attention from the moment she drew her first breath. When she was a mere toddler she appeared on the cover of Life magazine.

And though, perhaps, it seems young royal children might have had it easier in previous decades, I am not convinced the interest in their every move was any less intense than it will be for this youngster.

William and Catherine will, no doubt, do their best to shield their child from this less attractive aspect of Royal life but they also know and accept that the British Royals, especially the younger ones, are international superstars whether they like it or not.

So far this couple have managed the media extremely well.

They have done their duty, they have posed for pictures, they have looked glamorous when needed, and yet they have also enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of their life in Anglesey where William has been based as a RAF Search and Rescue helicopter pilot.

Now ensconced in their apartment in Kensington Palace, they have also chosen a family home in Norfolk to bring up their family – and where better to bring up a child than they open spaces and fresh air that county has to offer.

They have supportive grandparents in the wings – the caring Prince Charles and the relatively down to earth Middletons.

They have everything going for them. The monarchy is riding high – indeed it is arguably more popular than it ever has been. The nation is behind them, indeed if this baby wasn’t a news story or passed unnoticed then the monarchy would be in trouble.

This baby knocks Prince Harry back a further heartbeat from the throne but he will, I am sure, relish in his role as uncle. He has long proved he has his mother’s gift when it comes to children.

The arrival of the new prince will even please the Queen who hinted she’d like it born before she decamps to Balmoral for the summer break.

But away from the hype and the column inches this is the story of a new family, a new generation and new hope.

And a new baby, whoever it is, is always worth celebrating.