THIS time two years ago Angelina Jolie was just a hop and a skip away in Namibia, nursing swollen ankles and rubbing her tummy in a Swakopmund guesthouse while everyone hung around the beach trying to catch a glimpse of her, Brad and the kids.

 

Those were the days, hey! - the most famous couple in the world having a tot on African soil. It was enough to make us heady with pride - and almost made all those tense stand-offs between locals, the media and her thuggish bodyguards worth it.

 

Guess it was too much to hope Angle and Brad would consider our continent again for their next delivery though. No, this time the most well-travelled family in Hollywood are set up in a house belonging to one of the richest men in the world on one of the most exclusive strips of real estate in Europe, preparing to welcome their twin girls in one of the poshiest hospitals on the planet.

 

Angie hardly slummed it in Swakop but all the stops are being pulled out this time. Brad, worried about his sweetheart after a series of health scares, is reportedly spending $4 million (just over R30 million) to ensure everything goes smoothly and that the mother of his children is cosseted in utmost comfort during her confinement.

 

The hospital the couple are believed to have chosen for the birth is Le Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace in Monaco, where Princess Grace gave birth to her babies. It's not far from where the Brangelina brigade is staying in the South of France - at Villa Maryland, owned by their friend, Microsoft co-founder Paul Alien.

 

But Brad is leaving nothing to chance. When the time comes for Angie to give birth she'll be taken to hospital by helicopter, an eight-minute flight. Test flights - at $1,000 (about R7,600) a pop – are being carried out regularly.

 

Although the hospital employs some of the finest obstetricians in Europe Brad will fly out Angelina's gynae, Jason Rothbart, well before her 19 August due date. He'll be put up in a villa in Monaco where he'll be on 24-hour call.

 

Angelina will stay in a luxury suite in the hospital at a cost of $2,000 (about R15,200) a night while it's expected Brad will rent a room in the hospital for about $1,000 a night. The finest chefs in Monaco will whip up their meals at a cost of $125 (nearly R1,200) each.

 

Security is also a priority for Brad, who apparently spends $5,000 (about R38,000) a day on bodyguards. Squads of security men are expected to be posted at the hospital and outside Angle's suite to keep the paparazzi at bay while another posse will be stationed at Villa Maryland to watch the kids.

 

The twins are likely to be born by Caesarean section. Little Shiloh (nearly two) was born by C-section as she was breech and Angie's doctors aren't keen for her to deliver naturally, sources say.

 

"But she'd love to," a friend adds. "With Angie there's no 'too-posh-to-push' nonsense. She was disappointed when she couldn't have a natural birth the first time and she thinks having twins naturally would be the most amazing experience. But her doctors have advised against it."

 

After the birth Brad will fly his family and close friends to the South of France to celebrate and put them up in expensive hotels and guesthouses in the area. A special party is being arranged for Maddox (6), Pax (4), Zahara (3) and Shiloh so their noses aren't put out of joint by the arrival of their baby sisters.

 

"All in all he'll be forking out around $4 million for the birth of these babies," a friend says. "But that's nothing to Brad. He just wants Angelina to be safe and the birth to be a joyful occasion for everyone."

 

 

BRAD, who has long been smitten by his luscious-lipped love, has never seemed more attentive and caring as he has since her pregnancy became obvious. If he isn't whispering in her ear he's holding her hand, guiding her around by the elbow and staring deeply into her eyes.

 

The 44-year-old actor was terrified when Angie fainted on a plane trip from France to America last month. It turned out her blood sugar was low but she's prone to passing out. She did so several times when pregnant with Shiloh but carrying twins complicates things.

 

Doctors have warned the transcontinental flights have to stop. "She's at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis," an American gynaecologist says.

 

Brad is also desperate for Angelina to put her feet up now the Cannes Film Festival is drawing to a close. Angie was promoting two movies - the animated Kung Fu Panda and The Changeling - and dazzled the assembled masses with her choice of pretty preggie gowns.

 

"She looked lovely but she was often not feeling great," a friend says. "She's so big and uncomfortable she's barely sleeping at night. It's taking a toll on her - she's exhausted when it's time to get up."

 

And when she does get up four small children are clamouring for her attention.

 

Brangelina have been going out of their way to ensure their brood don't feel threatened. She's been taking the girls shopping and he's been taking the boys fishing and riding bikes.

 

But while Zahara and Shiloh seem to be okay the boys are taking strain. Maddox hates the fact his family move around so much - their move to France is the 18th time they've been uprooted in the past year. He's battling to settle down and make friends.

 

'"Maddox is a complicated little kid," the friend says. "The prospect of two more babies in the house is weighing on his mind. You must remember in the beginning it was just him and Angie. He had her all to himself - now there's Brad and a whole set of siblings in the house. It's hard for him."

 

To help her Cambodian-born son Angelina has told him he can choose his sisters' names. He has apparently come up with Mallory and Marcheline, Angie's late mom's name - although whether this is what the girls end up being called remains to be seen. There are rumours Angelina wants to call the twins Castor and Pollux after the brightest stars in the Gemini constellation but Brad is reluctant to have a daughter with a name "like a British swearword" (bollocks, in other words).

 

As for Pax, he's having emotional issues common in children adopted at an age where they're old enough to understand what's going on. He's rebellious and has anger-management problems, according to insiders.

 

"He's anxious about the twins' arrival," one says. "If it were up to him he'd be an only child."

 

No chance of that, obviously. And indications are the twins aren't going to be the final additions to the brood either. "Angelina would still love to adopt a baby from Africa and Brad keeps saying their family is far from complete."

 

Orphanages the world over must be holding their breath

 

Sources: NEWS24, DAILY STAR, LIFEANDSTYLEMAG, SUNDAY MIRROR, US WEEKLY

 

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