Pregnant Duchess Set to Return to Public Duties
— -- The duchess of Cambridge is hoping to return to public life 10 days from now for the first time since her second pregnancy was announced.
Kate and Prince William will represent the queen on a state visit with the president of Singapore on October 21.
Kate has cancelled several official engagements since Kensington Palace announced Sept. 8 that she is expecting her second child. She is suffering with hypermesis gravidarum, or acute morning sickness, which she also experienced during her pregnancy with Prince George. She recently had to cancel her first solo foreign visit to Malta on behalf of the queen because of the condition.
Royal sources close to the duke and duchess said, "The duchess very much hopes to undertake this engagement, but as with all recent engagements her attendance will be reviewed closer to the time, depending on her health."
Buckingham Palace announced today that Singapore President Tan and his wife Mary will attend a state visit with the queen. The duke and duchess are expected to greet the president and his wife at the Royal Garden hotel, which is adjacent to Kensington Palace. They will the travel by car to Horse Guards Parade where the president will receive a ceremonial welcome. It is unclear if William and Kate will join a carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace for lunch. In the evening, the queen will host a state banquet but William and Kate are not expected to attend.
Prince William and Kate visited the president and first lady of Singapore in 2012 on the first leg of their Asian and South Pacific tour celebrating the queen's Diamond Jubilee. The couple visited the country's botanic gardens where they viewed an Orchid named after Princess Diana, which she never lived to see. Kate also made her first speech on that overseas visit so the country holds special significance for both of them.
Kate has not been seen in public since August 5 when she attended the opening of a poppy exhibition at the Tower of London commemorating those lost in World War I. The palace announced Kate's pregnancy a few weeks later when she was forced to cancel an engagement in Oxford with William. She has been recovering with the help of her doctors at Kensington Palace and at her parents' home in Bucklebury.
