Duchess Kate

Kate's Birth Details Officially Announced!

2013-06-19T22:47:00.001+01:00

Details regarding the arrangements for Baby Cambridge's birth were released by royal aides today. As expected William and Kate's baby will be born at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, the same hospital where William and Harry were born.

@SkyNewsRoyal Twitter Feed

Sky News's royal correspondent Paul Harrison outside St Mary's today, noted he shall be spending quite some time there in the next few weeks as the world's media descends to cover the birth of the future monarch.

Kate has chosen to forsake a Caesarean Section and plans to give birth naturally. More from the Daily Express article:

'Kate's birth plan at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, for a future King or Queen will be welcomed by doctors concerned that a rise in the number of mothers choosing a Caesarean to avoid a strenuous labour is placing extra strains on the National Health Service as well as private hospitals.'

Looking after Kate will be Marcus Setchell, who delivered the Wessex children and Alan Farthing, the Queen's surgeon-gynaecologist. Should the Duchess go into labour early, aides have drawn up contingency plans to take Kate to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading (close to the Middleton family home) or a hospital in Bangor, near their home in Anglesey.

Despite ongoing press speculation St James's Palace confirmed William and Kate do not know the gender of their baby. Kate has previously said she would love a boy whilst William is hoping for a girl, however it will be very much a surprise for the couple who decided to keep with royal tradition by choosing not to find out before the birth.

Prince William does not intend to take time off before the birth. He works a four days on, four days off shift pattern at RAF Valley as a Search and Rescue pilot, meaning it could be quite the race against time for him should Kate go into labour almost 300 miles away. In the meantime, Kate isn't planning to spend time in Anglesey between now and the mid-July birth, instead dividing her time between the couple's two-bedroom home at Kensington Palace, Nottingham Cottage and the Middleton family home in Bucklebury.

Richard Palmer shared news that William plans to take two weeks paternity leave and Kate remains undecided about the duration of her maternity leave.

@RoyalReporter Twitter Feed

How will the royal birth be announced? In this age of social media where one tweet can be circulated around the world the Palace has taken modern technology into consideration, but the first indication that the Duchess has given birth will come when an aide leaves the hospital carrying a foolscap piece of paper with details of the baby's gender, weight and time of birth, which will be handed to a driver and taken to Buckingham Palace.

Wikipedia

In keeping with tradition, the nation will be officially informed the royal heir has been born when the aforementioned piece of paper is placed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace. It will not be put in place until the Queen, the Royal Family and the Middletons have been notified. After this, notices will appear on social media sites.

A Palace spokesman discussed the importance of keeping with tradition:

'It is very important to us that it will not be announced first on Twitter, although it will be announced on Twitter in due course.

We wanted to retain some of the theatre of the notice. It is quite important to us that this is done properly and with the degree of dignity that the event demands. This is the birth of a child who will be in line to the throne. It is a rare occasion and it is nice to be able to do it with some historical precedence.'

The birth will be marked by artillery companies around the UK, including a 62-gun salvo at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company and a 41-gun salute by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

Wikipedia

When will we find out Baby Cambridge's name? William's was not announced for a week because Charles and Diana simply couldn't agree on one. It will depend on whether or not William and Kate have names in mind yet :) And when can we expect to see baby for the first time? When Kate is released from hospital, the Cambridge family will leave via the front door and pose for a few moments allowing photos to be taken.

@SkyNewsRoyal Twitter Feed

Charles and Diana carry newborn William out of St. Mary's in 1982.

It is hoped Prince William will make a brief statement on the steps shortly after the the good news has been announced and the Middletons are expected to release a statement although arrangements for this have not yet been put in place. The couple are said to be planning on staying at Kensington Palace after the birth, but have no concrete plans after that.

The Palace have appealed for sensitive reporting in the wake of nurse Jacintha Saldanha's death following a prank call at King Edward VII's Hospital where Kate was treated for acute morning sickness in December.

'Whilst this is a deeply personal and private moment for the Duke and Duchess they recognise of course that it is also a moment of national celebration.

We appreciate that there will be mass interest in the Duke and Duchess and their baby over the course of the next few months and many people will want to share in their happiness most significantly around the time of the birth. We simply appeal to all members of media for the appropriate degree of sensitivity, dignity and privacy in their reporting.

With the events of King Edward VII's hospital still strong in our memories, we would expect any media covering the Duchess of Cambridge's hospitalisation to ensure that the normal functions of the hospital are not impeded by any media presence.'

As you can see from the cover of Hello! this week the countdown is well and truly on :)

Hello! Magazine

There is no doubt the arrival of Baby Cambridge will be a momentous occasion. Feel free to share your baby name guesses and do you think it will be a boy or a girl? One of our lovely commenters Rachel, suggested we add a poll enabling readers to guess the baby's gender. You can find it on the sidebar, I look forward to seeing your votes :)

Garter Day, Kate Spends Father's Day With Mike Middleton, Polo + Great Giveaway

2013-06-17T18:50:00.004+01:00

The annual Order of the Garter ceremony took place at Windsor Castle today. As expected the Duchess was not in attendance.

Clarence House Twitter Feed/Press Association

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348 by Edward III, is the highest order of chivalry existing in England. St George is the patron saint of the ceremony. The Queen appoints the Knights of the Garter without advice from ministers and this year there will be no new Knights installed into the order. Interestingly, Prince William was the 1000th Knight on the register when he joined the Order in 2008.

The British Monarchy Flickr

Arms of the Order of the Garter.

Wikipedia

Below we see Kate at Garter Day in 2008, 2011 and 2012.

Wiki/Splash News/British Monarchy

A service at St George's Chapel was preceded by the procession of members of the Order of the Garter.

Wikipedia

The Queen was all smiles today and no doubt delighted that Prince Philip was released from the London Clinic following exploratory surgery. He is currently convalescing and is expected to resume royal duties in the autumn.

The British Monarchy Flickr

If you're missing the Duchess, who is currently on maternity leave, there is a good chance she will attend Melissa Percy and Thomas Van Straubenzee's wedding on Saturday. :)

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Yesterday was Father's Day (we hope all the fathers among you had a splendid day) and Kate spent the day with her father at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire. The Duchess was spotted at a gas station with Mike Middleton by a very excited tweeter.

Charlotte Overton Twitter Feed

Meanwhile, William and Harry participated in a charity polo match at the Beaufort Polo Club in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. The Princes played on opposing teams and showed their competitive spirit as Harry appeared to shoulder barge William as they fought for the ball.

One onlooker was incredibly pleased to see the royals and snap a photo of them :)

The Princes appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves and mingled with spectators afterwards. We had wondered if Kate might make a polo appearance this season; at this point in her pregnancy it would seem highly unlikely.

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The Mirror has compiled a list of 25 interesting facts we already know about Baby Cambridge. Some of my favourites are:

Will be Prince or Princess from birth with title His or Her Royal Highness.
If William lives until 80 the child wont' be King or Queen until 2062.
If child lives to 87 it will be the first monarch of the 22nd century.
Kate has said she wants a boy, William wants a girl. Prince Harry reportedly said they don't know the sex.
Alexandra, Victoria, Elizabeth and Diana are bookies' favourite names for a girl. George, Charles, Philip and James for a boy.
William intends to be at birth.
A 41-gun salute will be fired in London parks to celebrate the birth.
Following tradition, birth will be announced with a note pinned at the gates of Buckingham Palace.

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Finally, we're excited to share the latest Baby Cambridge Fundraiser activity with you. Since the launch we have held a series of contests to raise funds for Kate's patronage East Anglia's Children's Hospices and the next giveaway - hosted by the amazing What Kate Wore - is one I think you will enjoy...

Style Rocks/What Kate Wore

Style Rocks have kindly donated a magnificent, emerald-cut citrine ring, measuring 13mm wide by 18mm long with a retail value of $1000.

Style Rocks/What Kate Wore

If you're not familiar with Style Rocks you'll be interested to know they're quite different from your typical online jewellery retailer. The ground-breaking website allows customers to design their own quality, affordable jewellery online. It's all about customisation and personalisation, designing a piece which is truly unique; with over 3.4 trillion customisation options there is truly something for everyone.

Below we look at a selection of bestselling pieces.

Style Rocks

The brand's creator Pascale has been amazing in her efforts to support the fundraiser and has created a group of jewellery named the Cambridge Collection and is donating 10% of all sales from the collection to our charitable endeavour.

Style Rocks

You can find all the relevant entry details in What Kate Wore's excellent post. Wishing all entrants the very best of luck!

Kate Pretty In Pink For Trooping The Colour

2013-06-15T11:54:00.002+01:00

The Duchess of Cambridge arrived in a horse drawn carriage with Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cornwall for today's Trooping the Colour, which is also known as the Queen's birthday parade.

Although the Queen's birthday is April 21st, it has long been tradition to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday publicly on a day in June, when good weather is more likely. Her Majesty has attended Trooping the Colour, every year of her reign, except in 1955 when a national rail strike cancelled the event.

Kate was all smiles as she appeared to spot someone in the crowd.

On horseback were Prince William, who is Colonel of the Irish Guards, Prince Charles, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, and the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals.

Prince Philip was noticeably absent from this year's celebrations. The 92-year old underwent an exploratory operation at the private London Clinic last Friday after which he was said to be "progressing satisfactorily". Yesterday, Prince Charles, Camilla, William and Harry visited him and said he was feeling "much better". No doubt he will be sorry to have missed this year's parade, as last year he attended just one week after receiving treatment for a bladder infection. He is expected to remain in hospital for two weeks and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.

The Queen invited her cousin, the Duke of Kent to join her in the glass coach for the journey from Buckingham Palace along the mall. Looking regal in a blue coat, Her Majesty completed the look with a striking white and blue hat.

Royal photographer Mark Stewart shared a photo of Buckingham Palace looking splendid in the sunshine via Twitter.

@RegalEyes Twitter Feed

More than 1600 officers and soldiers took part in the traditional display of military pageantry. More on this year's parade from HM Armed Forces Facebook Page:

'There were more than 200 horses on parade, and more than 400 musicians from all the Household Division Bands & Corps of Drums marched and played as one. The famous Drum Horses of the Mounted Bands with their immaculately waxed moustaches were also on parade.'

I was interested to read Trooping the Colour actually originated from traditional preparations for battle. Colours, or flags were trooped down the rank so it could be seen by the soldiers. In 1748, it was announced that the parade would also mark the Sovereign's official birthday.

@SkyNewsRoyal Twitter Feed

The Royal Family assembled on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the Royal Air Force perform a flypast at 1 p.m.

The flypast is always an unforgettable part of the event and today was no exception.

Slim Kohv Twitter Feed

Harry never fails to make Kate smile on the balcony.

Today marks the third consecutive year Kate has attended the event. In 2011, the Duchess opted for a McQueen coat-dress and last year she chose an Erdem dress.

Kate looked elegant in a pink coat with a heavy collar, three-quarter length sleeve and pearl buttons. It is said to be a bespoke Alexander McQueen piece. The Duchess seems to favour light pinks, it's a colour we've seen her opt for many times and it's an excellent choice for her colouring. I thought it an excellent choice for the event and it looked like a comfortable garment for Kate who is eight months pregnant.

Kate brought back her pink Jane Corbett hat.

Jane Corbett

Kate accessorised with pearl earrings.

It is thought Trooping the Colour marked Kate's final public appearance before the birth of Baby Cambridge. According to several royal reporters there are "no plans" for her to attend the Order of the Garter ceremonies on Monday although it's not been completely ruled out yet. I hope the Duchess has an opportunity to relax and enjoy the final weeks of her pregnancy. It's a very exciting time for her and William!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend :)