As the Duchess of Cambridge prepares to give birth at the exclusive Lindo Wing it has emerged that inquiries about private maternity healthcare have tripled in the past year. While most do not have the finances to stump up the estimated A 12,000 that the royal birth will cost, r esearch by private healthcare search engine WhatClinic.com found a 216% rise in people looking into having a private consultation, at a cost of A 144 a session.