In recent months, the Duchess of Cambridge has been out and about on an unprecedented number of royal engagements, from the tour of Sweden and Norway with her husband Prince William to multiple events closer to home (including her first official outing with future sister-in-law Meghan Markle). Indeed, a new report has suggested that Kate has more than tripled her work events compared to the same period last year, all while expecting her third child.
Last year, Kensington Palace confirmed that the Duchess’s due date is in April, and while expecting Prince George, now aged four, and Princess Charlotte, now two, she started her maternity leave in the final month of her pregnancy.
For the month of March, however, Kate's royal schedule has been anything but laid back, starting off with a trip to Pegasus Primary School in Oxford on 6th March, where she learned more about the work of the charity Family Links UK, and the official opening of the new headquarters for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.
After that came the Commonwealth Day celebrations at Westminster Abbey on 12 March, which was widely assumed to be her last engagement before taking a step back from royal duties. However, we were wrong – the Duchess followed up the occasion with a Royal Foundation Symposium on the topic of parenting and early intervention for children’s mental health, before packing her final events before maternity leave into one hectic day: first visiting the Copper Box arena with her husband William, to learn more about the work of SportsAid, then joining volunteers at St Luke’s Community Centre to help prepare food for The Big Lunch Project. Kensington Palace has confirmed that these will be her last engagements before welcoming her third child.
The Duchess’s decision to take maternity leave later than expected has led to further speculation around her due date, pointing towards the last weekend of April. Almost coinciding with her and William’s wedding anniversary, this could mean a double whammy of celebrations for the couple.
Following the birth of her third child, the Duchess’s next public appearance will doubtless come at the wedding of her brother-in-law Harry, which will take place on 19th May at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The Palace has previously confirmed that Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be taking part in the ceremony in some capacity, though it’s very likely that the third baby Cambridge will remain at home.
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Kate Middleton Style - Best Dresses & Outfits
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Kate Middleton at the mens singles final of the Wimbledon Championships - July 6, 2014
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Kate Middleton visits an M-PACT Plus Counselling programme - July 1, 2014
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Kate Middleton at the ANZAC Day commemorative service - April 25, 2014
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Kate Middleton at a service during the D-Day 70 Commemorations - June 6, 2014
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Kate Middleton during an official visit to Bletchley Park - June 18, 2014
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Kate Middleton and Prince George of Cambridge at the Royal Charity Polo - June 15, 2014
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Kate Middleton at the Ben Ainslie Racing America's Cup Launch Event - June 10, 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge wearing Jonathan Saunders in Scotland - 29th May 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Hobbs at Ayers Rock - 22 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Lela Rose in Canberra - 24 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen at Adelaide - 23 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Catherine Walker in Canberra - 24 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge at Taronga Zoo in Sydney - 20 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Roksanda Ilincic in Uluru - 22 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Zimmerman at Manley Beach - 20 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen at Easter service, Ausralia - 20 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in L.K. Bennett at Amberley Air Base - 19 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Christchurch, New Zealand - 14 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Roksanda Ilincic arriving in Sydney, Australia - 16 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Rebecca Taylor leaving New Zealand - 16 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Diane Von Furstenberg in Blue Mountains, Australia - 17 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Zara wine tasting in New Zealand - 13 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Jonathan Saunders at rugby in Dunedin, New Zealand - 13 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Erdem at Avanti Drome in Hamilton, New Zealand - 12 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Emilia Wickstead at Dunedin - 13 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Zara and J Brand at Auckland harbour, New Zealand - 11 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Jenny Packham at State Dinner, New Zealand - 10 April 2014
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The Duchess of Cambridge in Tory Burch in Wellington, New Zealand - 9 April 2014
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Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit the Valero Pembroke Refinery, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Britain - 08 Nov 2014
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Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visits SportsAid event, London, Britain - 12 Nov 2014
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Royal Variety Performance, London Palladium, Britain - 13 Nov 2014
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Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Award, Kensington Palace, London, Britain - 19 Nov 2014
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EACH Hospices Appeal Launch at The Norwich Showground, Norfolk, Britain - 25 Nov 2014
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Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William visit to New York, America - 07 Dec 2014
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New York, America - 08 Dec 2014
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Catherine Duchess of Cambridge at the Brooklyn Nets v Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Basketball match - 08 Dec 2014
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Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit to New York, America - 09 Dec 2014
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St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art- 09 Dec 2014
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Christmas Day Service - 25 Dec 2014
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Catherine Duchess of Cambridge officially names The Clore Art Room at Barlby Primary School, London, Britain - 15 Jan 2015
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Duchess of Cambridge visits The Fostering Network, Highbury, London, Britain - 16 Jan 2015
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Duchess of Cambridge formally opens Kensington Aldridge Academy, London, Britain - 19 Jan 2015
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Duchess of Cambridge visits the home of Ben Ainslie Racing and the 1851 Trust, Portsmouth, Britain - 12 Feb 2015
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Duchess of Cambridge visit to Staffordshire, Britain - 18 Feb 2015
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Commonwealth Day Observance, Westminster Abbey, London, Britain - 09 Mar 2015
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Duchess of Cambridge Margate 11 Mar 2015
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Service of Commemoration to Mark the End of Combat Operations in Afghanistan, St Paul's Cathedral, London, Britain - 13 Mar 2015
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St Patrick's Day Parade, Aldershot Barracks, Hampshire, Britain - 17 Mar 2015
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Brookhill Children's Centre 18 Mar 2015
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Royal baby girl born at the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital, London, Britain - 02 May 2015
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Anna Freud Centre, London, Britain - 17 Sep 2015
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HMP Send, Woking, Surrey, Britain - 25 Sep 2015
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Harrow College, London, Britain - 10 Oct 2015
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Chinese President Xi Jinping State Visit to London, Britain - 21 Oct 2015
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Dundee, Scotland, Britain - 23 Oct 2015
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James Bond 'Spectre' CTBF film premiere, Royal Albert Hall, London, Britain - 26 Oct 2015
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Islington Town Hall, London, Britain - 27 Oct 2015.
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100 Women in Hedge Funds gala dinner, London, Britain - 27 Oct 2015
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Fostering Network Awards, BMA House, London, Britain - 17 Nov 2015
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Wales, Britain - 20 Nov 2015
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Action on Addiction,Warminster, Wiltshire - 10 Dec 2015
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The Anna Freud Centre, London, Britain - 15 Dec 2015
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Sandringham Christmas Service - 25 Dec 2015