Indian-origin photographer broke news that Kate was in labour

Image
Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Jul 24 2013 | 3:30 PM IST
An eagle-eyed Indian-origin photographer was the first to report that Prince William's wife Kate had gone into labour, according to a report.
Jesal Parshotam, 24, was among a crowd of paparazzi outside St Mary's Hospital here when he had spotted that the royal couple was being sneaked into the private Lindo Wing of the facility through a back entrance on Monday morning.
Parshotam was with his colleague Darren Sacks, when a BMW and a people carrier arrived at the hospital carrying Kate and Prince William and royal protection officers, The London Evening Standard newspaper reported.
Moments later, Parshotam broke the news, writing on his Twitter page: "Kate Middleton has gone into hospital..."
Twitter users from around the world immediately began bombarding their accounts with questions about Kate's admittance and with messages congratulating the pair on their scoop.
Parshotam, who spends a lot of time following the royals around as well as other top celebrities, said: "We took a guess. It was a full moon so we thought why not come down? We stayed there from 8pm in the evening until about 5.30am.
"We were just standing outside chilling and talking and then it all happened. The cars showed up. They were very, very simple cars - it was very discreet...The protection officers jumped out and they all rushed in. It was a very swift manoeuvre. The Duchess went in and the cars were gone very quickly - within a minute. That was it."
Parshotam, however, said he chose not to take a picture of the Duke and Duchess emerging from the car, because she was in labour.
"I made that decision - she's a woman in labour. I just wanted to photograph the commotion and convoy of cars. That was a personal decision we both made. To take a picture of her would have been over stepping the mark," claimed Parshotam.
"The protection officers were surprised to see us. They asked us why we were there and questioned us," he said. "I guess it's the biggest scoop of my career."
After more than 10 hours of labour, 31-year-old Kate gave birth to a future king on Monday night.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 24 2013 | 3:30 PM IST

Next Story