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UK premier defends royals’ right to choose birth hospital

Terry Hutt poses for the media with a sign that reads 'Not Long to Go' as he waits with other royal fans for Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge to go into the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital to give birth to her second child in London, Friday, April 24, 2015. Kate's second child is expected to be born at the Lindo wing in late April. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Terry Hutt poses for the media with a sign that reads 'Not Long to Go' as he waits with other royal fans for Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge to go into the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital to give birth to her second child in London, Friday, April 24, 2015. Kate's second child is expected to be born at the Lindo wing in late April. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Terry Hutt poses for the media with a sign that reads 'Not Long to Go' as he waits with other royal fans for Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge to go into the Lindo wing at St Mary's Hospital to give birth to her second child in London, Friday, April 24, 2015. Kate's second child is expected to be born at the Lindo wing in late April. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

By Associated Press 3 min read

LONDON (AP) – With Britain’s general election fast approaching, almost anything can become political – even Prince William and his wife Kate’s choice of private medical care for the upcoming birth of their second child.

Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday defended the royal couple’s choice of private treatment over public care offered by the National Health Service.

Asked on TV if the royal couple’s decision was disappointing, Cameron said he supports peoples’ right to choose treatment options. He did praise the NHS, which is a source of national pride for many Britons.

“The NHS is superb and I’ve seen that in my own life in so many different ways,” he said. “But I believe in choice. I believe in people being able to do what they want to do.” He said he is praying for a safe delivery of the royal baby.

The NHS, founded in 1948, has become a political issue during the hard fought campaign, with Cameron’s opponents saying he wouldn’t adequately fund it in the coming years if voters return him to 10 Downing Street on May 7.