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Pensioner camped out for princess misses her arrival

Terry Hutt outside St Mary's Hospital in London. Credit: ITV News West Country

A die-hard royalist pensioner who spent weeks outside a London hospital for the royal birth missed it - the news was announced while he was in the loo.

Terry Hutt from Weston-super-Mare slept on a bench, weathered the elements and even survived having his bed stolen so that he could be there for the arrival of Princes Charlotte.

But he popped to the bathroom just before the moment of truth - and heard the screams of celebration while changing into his Union Jack suit. He ran back outside, suit in hand, to join the rest of the crowd. The fortnight Terry Hutt spent out in the cold included his 80th birthday. And though he missed out on his hope of sharing a birthday with the princess (by just two days), he did get a chocolate cake and birthday note from Kensington Palace.

The proud monarchist will soon be returning the thought - Mr Hutt is already packing up a parcel to send the proud parents with gifts for the little princess.

His first job, though, is to get some sleep.

I needed to have a rest, so after two weeks on my bench I came back to my dear wife and family.

"Being there was like a full-time job. When Kate went into labour, it was so busy with cameras during the night and into the morning."

""I have known William and the family for years and I always get a thrill out of seeing the new babies.

"We need babies to keep the family going as the more of them there are, the better it will be."

– Terry Hutt