Royal Baby Due in April & November Tour Postponed Until Early 2018!

Good afternoon dear readers,

Kensington Palace made two significant announcements today regarding the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Firstly, it's the update we've been eagerly awaiting; Baby Cambridge is due in April 2018. The news confirms Kate is past 12 weeks and all is well with mother and baby. KP shared the news via Twitter with the message: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in early 2018".

Kensington Palace

April is already a very special month in the royal family. The Queen's birthday takes place on 21 April and William and Kate will mark their seventh wedding anniversary on 29 April 2018, they couldn't ask for a better gift than the arrival of a new baby the same month. Interestingly, when Kate was expecting Princess Charlotte, the Palace said the due month was "April". I understand both George and Charlotte arrived a little late, with the Princess born on 2 May 2015.

Royal watchers and global media will once again be firmly focused on the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital. Our first glimpse of the little prince or princess will come when William and Kate leave the hospital with their new baby. When they left with George they had a brief chat with reporters. When Charlotte was born, they returned to KP just hours after she was born, naturally the Duchess was exhausted and they headed home.

We've seen the Duchess publicly three times during her pregnancy. On 31 August, she joined William and Harry at The White Garden at Kensington Palace, to mark the 20th anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales. Kate was beaming (she and William had quite possibly just found out she was expecting). Kate wore the Prada Printed Silk Dress with her very pretty Monica Vinader Siren Wire Earrings and L.K. Bennett Fern pumps for the appearance. Days later the Palace confirmed Kate was pregnant and suffering with Hyperemesis gravidarum.

Six weeks later, Kate returned to public duties to mark World Mental Health Day at a Buckingham Palace reception celebrating those working across the mental health sector. Kate was in good spirits on the evening. She wore the pretty iris Temperley London Eclipse Lace Collar Dress, Gianvito Rossi pumps and Kiki earrings.

And yesterday, we had a surprise appearance as Kate joined William and Harry for a Charities Forum engagement with children from organisations they support. It was a lovely event, and it was great to see Kate dancing with Paddington. William revealed "She's feeling much better". An aide added: 'The Duchess is feeling much better but she has still not fully recovered.' Of course, each pregnancy is different, but during her previous pregnancies, I believe it was around this point she began to really feel better. For Kate's third maternity look, she chose an A/W 2013 Orla Kiely Dress with new Tod's Suede pumps and Kiki Morganite earrings.

I expect we'll see Kate popping up at more engagements in the coming weeks.

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The other update from the Palace concerns the postponement of William and Kate's November tour of Norway and Sweden. At the request of the Foreign Office, it was originally planned the Duke and Duchess would visit both countries and Finland at the end of November. Due to Kate's health, it has now been postponed until "Early 2018". William will now visit Finland solo next month.

Kensington Palace Twitter Feed

Richard Palmer reports:

'The Duchess of Cambridge's continuing illness with acute morning sickness has forced the Royal Household to drop plans for her and Prince William to tour three Scandinavian countries next month. She and William had been due to spend four or five days touring Norway, Sweden, and Finland but Kensington Palace has decided she is not well enough to undertake the tour at the request of the Foreign Office.

 Instead, William, 35, will make a two-day visit to Finland on November 29 and 30 and the couple have postponed their visit to Norway and Sweden until early 2018. It was not possible to postpone the trip to Finland until next year, as the main official reason for going is to celebrate Finland's centenary year as a nation. It became an independent state on December 6, 1917. Unofficially, the visits to all three countries will be seen as part of a wider effort by Britain to shore up its relationships with European countries ahead of Brexit.

Her condition has improved in the last few days, allowing her to undertake two official royal engagements in the past week, but she is still not fully recovered. It is understood that even if she is feeling much better by the time William goes to Finland next month, she has ruled out joining him there.'

I suspect the change of plan was decided very recently. Last week, royal reporter Emily Andrews was told the tour was going ahead in November, contingent upon Kate's health.

Emily Andrews

When the Duchess was expecting Princess Charlotte in December 2014, she and William spent three days in New York. Kate was at the same stage in her pregnancy as she would have been on the November tour. Perhaps she found the travelling very taxing at the time? I understand the proposed itinerary for Sweden/Norway/Finland featured a hectic schedule over five days, much busier than New York.

Kate will be heavily pregnant when the tour goes ahead in 2018.

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In other updates, last Wednesday, Kate's former private secretary Rebecca Priestley appropriately received the Royal Victoria Order at Buckingham Palace from Prince William. The honour is reserved for those who have served the monarchy. Rebecca worked for the Royal family for ten years and following the royal wedding, served as Kate's right-hand woman. She has already moved on to the next phase of her career, registering her own private company RAP Consulting and Communications at the beginning of this month. The business, based in central London, will specialise in publication relations and communications activities. Rebecca declined to speak with media after the investiture.

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On the fashion front, I only just got a chance to have a gander at a new collaboration between two of Kate's favourite brands. L.K. Bennett and Preen have teamed up to create L.K. Bennett's first Ready-To-Wear Collection with internationally-celebrated label Preen by Thornton Bregazzi. Design duo Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi drew inspiration from the floral watercolours of artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh to create the capsule collection.

Looking at the collection, the Vali Rose Silk Dress instantly stands out whilst achieving the brief of marrying a classic silhouette favoured by L.K. Bennett with the designer's vision. Romantic and feminine, with an undone quality Preen is so loved for. Rendered in 100% silk satin, it is printed with roses on a graphic red striped base. A brand archive silhouette, this wrap dress has a waterfall collar and falls to an asymmetric hem.

The print is beautiful.

The Syd Floral Print Dress is a 'very Kate' piece featuring a feminine silhouette modelled on a Preen archive piece. It has a fitted bodice, round neck, bracelet sleeves and flowing full skirt.

Two striking pieces from the collection: the Sioux Tulip Print Dress and the Shelly Black Print Dress.

More from the Telegraph:

Many of the dresses and skirts in the 15-piece collection are made from pure silk and, with prices starting at £195, the collaborators were keen to ensure that this was not just another ‘designer does cheap version of their hits for the high street’ story. Rather, the original designs aim to bring a similar level of quality, with some new, fashion-forward direction, for those who already love to shop at L.K. Bennett.

“We’ve long admired the British DNA and feminine handwriting of Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and we felt there was a natural synergy between our two brands,” explains L.K. Bennett’s brand director Lorna Perrin. “We’ve developed floral feminine prints, which are already a big part of L.K.Bennett’s heritage, with Preen’s distinct silhouettes and a more directional slant, to create an exciting contemporary collection.”

The Patti dress is a pared-back piece with a very contemporary silhouette. This style is cut from a black silk-blend velvet, with a distinctive soft lantern shape and box-pleated skirt that swishes gracefully as you walk. The embellishment on the neckline is superbly done.

Separates include the Patti Blue Wool Jumper worn with the Shelly Black Skirt. We also see the Devoto Black Silk Top.

What do you think of the collection? Are there any pieces you would like to see Kate wear?