Prince William hints at due date with trainee midwife

Prince William hints at due date with trainee midwife



Prince William appeared to hint that the due date of his third child might be earlier than expected as he chatted with a trainee midwife during a charity visit.

The Duke of Cambridge jokingly told student Grace Gunn, 19, that she might see him 'sooner' than she thought when the pair met yesterday at the east London-based Spitalfields Crypt Trust.

As he said his goodbyes, William, 35, said to the teenager: 'All the best with the midwifery - might see you sooner than you think.'

It came after the royal let slip last week that he had been 'a bit anxious to start with but [we can] start celebrating this week,' suggesting the Duchess of Cambridge might be further along in her pregnancy than previously speculated. 



Meanwhile Kate, 35, who was last seen in public on August 30, appears to be preparing to return to royal duties after taking time off due to severe morning sickness.

Kensington Palace today named the duchess as one of the co-hosts of a Buckingham Palace reception due to be held next month.

Alongside Princes William and Harry, she is set to welcome guests to an event celebrating the contribution of those working in the mental health sector.



The development suggests the duchess is starting to see an improvement in her health after she was struck down with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), a complication that causes excessive nausea and vomiting which Kate suffered during her first two pregnancies.

The illness meant Kate and William were forced to make an early pregnancy announcement a fortnight ago.



Since then the Duchess has been forced to miss a number of planned engagements, including her son's Prince George's first day of school, because of the condition.

However, her husband, Prince William, told well-wishers that she was 'doing well' during a visit to Liverpool earlier this month.

Last week he also appeared to let slip at the time that Kate was 11 weeks pregnant. This would mean the baby could be due as early as March next year.

While supporters are eagerly awaiting the duchess' return to public life, they were treated to new images of the royal when she appeared in a charity video about children's mental health that was released earlier this week.



On Monday Kate launched the 'You're never too young to talk mental health' campaign by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.

In a video recorded in January, several months before she is believed to have fallen pregnant, Kate urged parents to encourage their children to be 'open about their feelings'.

Donning a £1,600 Eponine blue coat, the well-spoken duchess also called on people to speak out when they have feelings that are 'too big to manage on our own'.

The campaign, which aims to promote mental health awareness in schools, includes a video introduction from Kate, which she recorded on a visit to the Child Bereavement UK Centre in East London in January this year.