From puns to medical jargon, souvenir editions to entirely baby-free headlines (albeit alongside huge royal picture splashes), here's how the national newspapers chose to herald Kate and William's announcement...

The Sun

"Kate Expectations"

An unexpectedly literary splash from Britain’s favourite newspaper, who opt for a Dickensian pun to break the news to their loyal royal readers.  

The Currant Bun (in the oven) goes for the classic Mario Testino engagement portrait of the couple, and takes the time to confirm, “Wills to be Dad”. 

Elegant simplicity - what else would you expect?

The Daily Mail

"A Nation's Joy, A Husband's Nerves"

The Mail dedicates 14 pages of today’s edition to a “Royal Baby Special” which dissects every element of what we know so far about this most royal of pregnancies. 

The front page offers just the right dose of national pride and human interest, as it reminds us that they may be royalty – but these are people with feelings too. 

A regal purple panel offers a nice souvenir-edition-style touch.

The Daily Mirror

“Pregnant Kate ‘in hospital for days’”

A surprisingly vanilla headline from the tabloid who have avoided the pun approach and hammered the message home hard with the all-caps “DUCHESS IN BABY DRAMA” header in yellow. 

A nice picture of Kate, but the unfortunate shot of William shows a bald spot that seems inappropriate to highlight on such a special day. 

The Daily Star

"Royal Baby: It's All Down to Coconuts... and plenty of Brussels sprouts!"

Good on the Star for finding a different angle – what a headline. 

It turns out that Kate was presented with a coco de mer “love” nut while on her honeymoon in the Seychelles, and “then spent the year feasting on Brussels sprouts as part of a fertility diet”.

Ah, so that’s how babies are made…

The Daily Telegraph

"Could it be twins for Kate?"

Never knowingly needing a reason to put an attractive high society girl on the front page, the Telegraph hit the jackpot this morning with a charming smiling action shot of our Kate. 

In a news cycle that spins at an electric pace, the paper has attempted to get ahead of the curve by “predicting” twins based on the fact Kate has severe morning sickness – a bold move, but if they get it right, we’ll be seeing this front page again.

Perhaps a souvenir edition of tomorrow?

The Daily Express

"Baby Joy for Kate & Wills"

As the official* newspaper of Princess Diana and all things royal, it’s no surprise the Express has gone hard with this news, rushing together a regal purple “Royal Souvenir Special” at just hours notice. 

According to the Express, even great granny the Queen didn’t know Kate was pregnant until she was rushed to hospital. 

Expect more Kate and Wills coverage every day for the next seven months from this fine publication. 

*in a way

The Times

“We’re Expecting”

Thoroughly modern stuff from the Times who avoid “Kate’s pregnant” line in favour of a warmer fuzzier, dare I say, “cooler” splash.

It works on many levels, you see.  Not just Wills and Kate are expecting… but we, the nation, are now expecting.  Just what we need in these times of austerity, a feel good story that allows us to forget all our problems… DO NOT LET US DOWN!

i

"Pregnant Kate has 'severe morning sickness'"

i chooses to pair its mildly depressing medical headline with a more upbeat image of the vibrant, active Kate the nation knows and loves.

And while we applaud the attempt to raise the mood with a bit of jolly hockeysticks, alongside that headline it simply looks as if Kate is wantonly ignoring her doctor's advice...

The Guardian

"VAT loophole 'costs more than Olympics'"

The Guardian showing a rebellious republican streak by not running a royal splash – but still, they can’t resist running a dirty great picture of a beaming Kate Middleton…

Viva la revolution!

The Independent

"Bank boss sold off shares on eve of crash"

Another attempt to suggest that "serious" financial news is more important than Royal Baby news – and another massive photo to prove that it isn't.

The Independent does at least give the story a newsy spin, picturing the assembled masses of the paparazzi outside the King Edward VII Hospital along with the caption "Great expectations: the royal news that's put a spring back into the media's step." Yes it has – and that includes you, Indy.