Duchess Kate Says She Can Feel the Baby Kicking
— -- The Duchess of Cambridge made her third public appearance in as many days and made some young people very, very happy.
The blooming Kate was dressed in a baby blue Seraphine maternity coat, which retails for about $300 and prompted a run on the merchandise on the company's website. And despite the baby blue color, royal-watchers shouldn't read too much into that. She was not giving the crowd any hints on the gender of her new little prince or princess, as she and Prince William have decided to keep the sex of the baby a surprise.
However, she did reveal her little bundle of joy is a ball of fire, just like Prince George.
"It's moving all the time. I can feel it kicking now,'" she told teenager Martina McDonagh, as she inaugurated the newly-reopened Kensington Leisure Centre.
Kate is about six months along and, according to Kensington Palace, is due in mid-April.
The duchess didn't go home empty-handed. Prince George received an inflatable rubber ducky and a swimming bag, which will surely be used: Kate apparently loves to take her son, the third in line to the throne, swimming at the Buckingham Palace pool.
The gift was an appropriate one, as Princes William and Harry both learned to swim in Kensington Leisure Centre when they were pupils at nearby Wetherby Prep School. The new center Kate opened replaces one built in the mid-1970s, which was updated in 2001. It now includes three state-of-the-art swimming pools and other athletic facilities.
George, who is almost 18 months old, is expected to follow in his father's footsteps by going to the same leisure center when he is a bit older.
"The duchess was talking about Prince William learning to swim here and she said she hoped Prince George can come here to learn too," said Tim Ahern, the council's cabinet member for environment and leisure.
Swimming wasn't the only topic of conversation, however. Kate also admitted she loves to read picture books to Prince George. And when questioning the students about what they enjoyed eating at school, she told the kids she liked fish and chips.
The visit capped a day that started with a visit to a volunteering charity Family Friends, which provides mentoring and a visit to the Kensington Aldridge Academy school. The seventh-grade students were thrilled with their special guest and treated their future queen to a dance performance and some singing on stage.
At one point, as Kate stood on stage, an announcement said that they would now sing the school song, which prompted a brief moment of panic on the duchess' face.
“I thought you were going to ask me to sing then,” she said.
One 2-year-old boy was so struck by meeting Princess Kate that despite practicing all weekend to present her with a posy of flowers, he burst in to tears when she finally arrived.
