Catherine's pregnancy brings back memories of Diana

LONDO - For Britons waiting for the birth of the royal baby, many are able to cast their minds back to the days of Diana and the births of her two sons, now Princes William and Harry.

Social and digital media now make the wait for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge to give birth in a London hospital an event on which everyone can comment.

In the early 1980s, the public relied on four TV channels, BBC radio, and a dozen or so national newspapers to relay the latest news.

But the appetite for news about the royal family on almost any subject is insatiable and the media was careful to keep it fed then as it does now.

Diana had a tough time with the media from the beginning, when her naivety and inexperience at handling the press were exposed.

Before her engagement to Prince Charles was announced she was regularly door stepped by media at her home in central London and posed for back lit photos while still a children's nanny, innocent of the fact that the lighting exposed her shapely legs through the material of her dress.

Editors loved Diana because they could use her beauty to sell their newspapers, and after her marriage Diana was never far from the headlines.

She was better protected from the media once married, and also learnt how to use them -- making sure they knew of photo opportunities which suited her. Later on she used the media in her divorce from Charles.