The Palace released a short statement saying William and Kate will be visiting New Zealand and Australia.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit New Zealand and Australia in April 2014.
Their Royal Highnesses have been invited to visit by the New Zealand and Australian governments.
Further details on the exact dates and itinerary will be issued in due course.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge is to leave operational service in the Armed Forces.
He completes his Tour with the Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Force at RAF Valley, Anglesey, after more than seven-and-a-half years of full-time military service.
He will continue to support the work of The Queen and the Royal Family through a programme of official engagements, both at home and overseas, with The Duchess of Cambridge.
The Duke will work closely over the next twelve months with the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. He will expand his work in the field of conservation, particularly in respect of endangered species.
The Duke will continue to work with his charities on issues relating to children and young people, veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces. The Duke is currently considering a number of options for public service, a further announcement on which will follow in due course.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George are expected to move into their official residence at Kensington Palace within the next few weeks.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son George Alexander Louis.
The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.
While the world is watching and waiting with bated breath after Baby Boy Cambridge’s birth, two VIP guests managed to sneak some special one-on-one time with Kate and Will’s tiny bundle of joy on Tuesday, July 23: Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton.
The proud grandparents arrived at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital at approximately 3:04 p.m. London time to visit their daughter and her newborn son. The couple arrived in a black taxi and was escorted into the building; acknowledging photographers briefly before meeting the little prince, both first-time grandparents beamed.
A member of staff was also spotted taking a car seat into the building, possibly in preparation for the royal baby’s departure from the hospital.
“He’s absolutely beautiful,” Carole told the press upon leaving the hospital. “We are so thrilled. They are both doing really well.”
When asked how the first cuddle was with the little prince, Carole smiled excitedly and told reporters that it was, “Amazing. It’s all coming back!”
Neither Carole nor Michael (nor Kate’s younger sister Pippa) were present at the birth of the royal baby, despite initial rumors that the Middleton women would be in the delivery room for the highly anticipated birth.
“Buckingham Palace denied rumors that they were going to be in the delivery room with Kate,” NBC News reported on Monday. “She very much wants just her husband to be there.”
On Tuesday, the first-time parents released a joint statement thanking the hospital for their “tremendous care” in helping to make the delivery a smooth one.
“We would like to thank the staff at the Lindo Wing and the whole hospital for the tremendous care the three of us have received,” they said in a statement. “We know it has been a very busy period for the hospital and we would like to thank everyone — staff, patients, and visitors — for the understanding during this time.”
And on Monday, just hours after Middleton gave birth to a healthy 8 lb., 6 oz. baby boy, proud father Prince William issued a statement that “we could not be happier.”
“Both my wife and I are overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild. It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy.
Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone’s life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future.”
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm.
The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz.
The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.
The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news.
Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.
After many weeks of waiting, the royal baby is on the way. Kensington Palace officials confirmed Monday morning that Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, had been admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in London in the early stages of labor.
According to the palace, the Duchess traveled by car to the hospital, accompanied by her husband, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, the grandson of the current British Queen, Elizabeth II.
William and Kate entered St. Mary’s Hospital in central London through a side door early Monday morning, avoiding the world’s media. Palace officials confirmed her arrival about 90 minutes later.
Royal officials said they traveled by car, without a police escort, just before 6 a.m. Kate — also known as the Duchess of Cambridge — is expected to give birth in the private Lindo Wing of the hospital, where Princess Diana also gave birth to William and his younger brother, Prince Harry.
The couple’s spokesman said, “Things are progressing as normal,” while Sky News’ royal correspondent Paul Harrison said the Duchess’ condition had been described as “very well”.
“It seems it was a very orderly arrival,” Harrison reported. “There were two vehicles. A Ranger Rover-type vehicle, and behind it there was an Audi vehicle.
“Prince William had said from the beginning that he wanted to be alongside his wife when she went into labor.”
The child, whose gender is unknown, would be third in line to the throne of Great Britain, behind Charles, Prince of Wales, and William.
Representatives of the world’s press had been gathered for days outside of St. Mary’s Hospital. The Duchess’ exact due date had been a closely guarded secret, but the general sense was that the royal baby’s arrival was overdue by at least one or two days.
Protocol requires that the queen be informed about the birth before the general public is told.
Palace officials have said that the first hint will come when a royal aide emerges from the hospital with a signed bulletin carrying the Buckingham Palace letterhead. The bulletin will be given to an official who will be driven to Buckingham Palace, where it will be posted on an easel in public view in front of the building.
It was the exact way officials announced the birth of Prince Charles in 1948 and Prince William in 1982, though this time around the monarchy has moved with the times and added social media as an easier way to reach more people.
At the same time the bulletin is posted, there will be an official announcement on Twitter and the media will be formally notified. The document will give the baby’s gender, weight and time of birth.
It could be some time before the baby’s name is made public. When William was born, a week passed before his name was announced. Charles’s name remained a mystery for an entire month.
But it is the baby’s gender that is of particular interest because the prospect of Kate’s pregnancy prompted a change to laws of succession to ensure a daughter would not be passed over for the crown by a younger brother. Boy or girl, the child will be the prospective future monarch.
The birth of a new heir to the throne has been breathlessly anticipated by many Britons since William and Kate wed on April 29, 2011.
Despite a rough start to the pregnancy, when she was hospitalized for acute morning sickness, the 31-year-old Kate made a number of public appearances that were halted only near the end of her term.
Since the duchess has cut back on her royal duties, media outlets have been clamoring for position outside of the hospital in anticipation of the birth, jockeying to secure the best vantage point for filming William and Kate emerging, babe in arms.
Pregnant in the heat! With scorching summer temperatures in effect, Kate Middleton left London’s Kensington Palace for some R&R at her parent’s house in Bucklebury, Berkshire, on Friday, July 12, a source confirms to Us Weekly.
“It was just too warm in Nott Cott,” the insider tells Us, referring to the couple’s Nottingham Cottage residency, which lacks air conditioning. (On Saturday, July 13, England’s highest 2013 temperature of 89.4 degrees was recorded). “She decided to spend the weekend with mum and dad. Much more comfortable.”
Indeed, her parents’ residence boasts a pool, BBQ patio, and many cool rooms to relax in. While the 31-year-old mom-to-be waits to go into labor (her due date was July 11), the insider tells Us that “protection officers are visible from the street.”
While The Duchess of Cambridge cools off in Bucklebury, Prince William and Prince Harry are competing for the Jerudong Trophy at the Cirencester Polo Club on Sunday, July 14, to raise money for his charities Centrepoint, WellChild, Child Bereavement UK. The doting Duke of Cambridge will play on the same team alongside his brother and is prepared in case his wife needs him immediately.
“William is relaxed,” an aide tells Us, adding that a helicopter is not on standby. “Should Kate go in to labor he will go straight to London with a police escort.”
And if she doesn’t? “He will drive to Bucklebury and stay the night at the Middleton’s house with Kate,” the source explains.
There’s no doubt that Prince William is eager to welcome his first child with wife Kate Middleton. But until the royal baby decides to make an appearance, the Duke of Cambridge still has duties and obligations to fulfill as a member of the royal family. On Saturday, July 13, he and his younger brother, Prince Harry, competed against each other in the Kent & Curwen Royal Polo Cup in Sydmonton, England.
The 31-year-old first-time father-to-be was playing on behalf of the Tusk Trust and Sentebale charities. At halftime, his team led Harry’s two goals to one. By the end of the match, however, the tables had turned. Uncle-to-be Harry and his teammates pulled ahead, beating Prince William four goals to three.
The Duke of Cambridge didn’t stick around long after losing, but only because he wanted to get home to his nine-months-pregnant wife. William has been at Kensington Palace in London since Wednesday, July 10, after a long shift with the Royal Air Force in Anglesey. He is expected to return to work on Monday, July 15 — assuming the Duchess doesn’t give birth before then, of course. (Barring any surprise deliveries, he’ll also compete in a polo match on Sunday, July 14, in aid of WellChild, Centrepoint, and Child Bereavement UK.)
It’s been a busy few days for the royal family. Amid the increasing royal baby mania, Queen Elizabeth II opened up Buckingham Palace this week to host the Coronation Festival. On Thursday, July 11, the Middleton family — Pippa, James, Michael, and Carole — joined the Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and others at the Coronation Festival Concert in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.
Aunt-to-be Pippa also had an out-of-town obligation on Saturday, July 13. She flew to Vienna for the day to attend the wedding of Caroline Sieber and Fritz Von Westonholtz.
The Duchess, meanwhile, is nesting at Nottingham Cottage as she awaits her baby’s birth. “Catherine and William are very much looking forward to the arrival of their son or daughter,” a palace aide told Us. “It’s a very exciting time for the couple and their families.”
The future king or queen will be born in the private Lindo wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, where the Duke of Cambridge, who was also born there, will be with his wife throughout the delivery.
St James’s Palace has also moved to end speculation over the gender of the baby by insisting the Duke and Duchess do not know the sex of their baby and have chosen not to be told until it is born.
As details about the arrangements for the birth were released to the media, aides confirmed that Marcus Setchell, the Queen’s former gynaecologist, will deliver the baby, aided by the Queen’s current gynaecologist Alan Farthing, the former fiance of the murdered BBC presenter Jill Dando.Asked whether the Duchess had opted for an elective Caesarian birth, an option which has led to some mothers being dubbed “too posh to push”, palace sources said she intended to give birth naturally.
They also confirmed that the Duke will only take two weeks statutory paternity leave before he returns to flying duties with his RAF Search and Rescue squadron in Wales.
The Duke does not plan to take any time off before the birth, meaning he could face a race against time to be present when the baby is born.
He works a four days on, four days off shift pattern at RAF Valley on Anglesey, meaning he could be 300 miles away when the Duchess goes into labour. It is understood that the Duchess will not spend any time in Wales between now and the birth, due in mid-July, dividing her time instead between Kensington Palace and her parents’ home in Berkshire.
Contingency plans have been put in place with the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading in case the Duchess goes into labour unexpectedly early while visiting her parents.
The first indication that the Duchess has given birth will come when an aide leaves the hospital carrying a piece of paper with details of the baby’s sex, weight and time of birth, which they will hand to a driver to be taken to Buckingham Palace.
The notice will then be placed on an easel on the forecourt of the Palace for the waiting world to be given its first information about the future king or queen.
Shortly afterwards, the news will be put out on the Palace’s official Twitter feed, though aides stressed that no electronic communication would be made until the public had had a chance to see the official notice, as “it’s important that this is done with a degree of dignity and with half an eye on the historical significance” of the occasion.
Bookies have taken a steady stream of bets on the baby being a boy, partly because the Duchess is reported to have bought a blue pram, but a royal source said: “The Duke and Duchess don’t know the sex of the baby and they have decided not to find out beforehand.”
No announcement of the birth will be made until after the Queen, other senior members of the Royal family, and the Middleton family have been informed.
If the Duchess gives birth in the middle of the night no announcement is likely to be made until the Queen has woken, as sources said they did not expect her to be woken up specially to be told the news.
The royal couple have so far given no indication as to whether they have chosen names for the baby.
When the Duke of Cambridge was born his name was not announced for a week, reportedly because the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales could not agree on one.
The Duchess of Cambridge and her baby bump looked serene in blue tonight at a reception for one of her chosen charities.
Kate took advantage of a warm summer night in London as she arrived in a sleeveless Emilia Wickstead dress in flattering duck egg blue and no coat.
Inside the National Portrait Gallery event, she spoke of the power of art to change people’s lives in a speech to celebrate the work of one of her charities.
Kate told an audience of 250 artists, schoolchildren and supporters of The Art Room, of which she is patron, that it felt “incredibly special” to be at the National Portrait Gallery in London tonight to celebrate the work of the charity.
The Art Room, which uses art to increase children’s self-confidence and independence, was marking its 11th anniversary and launching a new fundraising campaign at the event, attended by artists including Marc Quinn and Jenny Savile.
Kate, who was wearing dusky blue heels and had her hair half up, said: “I am a firm believer in the power of art to make a difference and The Art Room is doing that on a daily basis.
“We all stand here tonight to celebrate this wonderful work.
“I hope that you will join me in congratulating The Art Room and their supporters on these extraordinary achievements.
“As patron of The Art Room, I feel immense pride to see the amazing work that they are doing but I also feel hugely excited to look to a future with more Art Rooms, where many more challenging and vulnerable children will be helped.”
The Duchess is also patron of the National Portrait Gallery – and a portrait of her is currently on display at the venue.
Award-winning artist Paul Emsley created the large head and shoulders painting of the Duchess set against his trademark dark background.
Despite mixed reaction, Kate was delighted with the painting, saying: “It’s just amazing, I thought it was brilliant.”
Kate, an art history graduate, said: “I always love coming to the National Portrait Gallery so to be here tonight for an evening to celebrate The Art Room makes it feel incredibly special.
“When I have been fortunate enough to join Art Room sessions, I have been overwhelmed by the transformational impact they have.
“Vulnerable children flourish in the safe havens that the Art Room provide.”
The Duchess spoke to children who use the Art Room facilities in London and Oxford and accompanied some of them on a private tour of a Man Ray exhibition at the gallery.
At nearly seven months pregnant, the Duchess shows no signs of slowing down her workload.
Kate, who is due to give birth in mid-July, plans to continue royal duties throughout her pregnancy until mid-June.
Her schedule has been organised so she has several public engagements in a row then the chance to rest behind the scenes.
This week she is busy with a visit to a primary school on the Shameless estate in Manchester yesterday and a trip with William and Harry to the Warner Bros studios in Hertfordshire on Friday.
Rachel Meghan Markle became The Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry, who is sixth in the line of succession to the British throne in May 2018. Meghan is a former American actress known for her role on the hit television show ‘Suits’.
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