The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child: September 2017

[Empress Merel]

I'm the youngest of 5. My father is the youngest of 13. That is a lot. Three children is as average as it can be when it comes to family size.

 

[Pranter]

My dad was 1 of 5 ..my mom was 1 of 4 ....my husband was 1 of 6 ....we have 3.



LaRae

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I don't agree...who lets public opinion decide on personal private decisions like family size?


LaRae

I agree! Since when does public opinion decide something so personal? First there are the intrusive questions about when a married couple decides to have their first child, then eyebrows are are raised by the PC police who get to determine when the couple should call it a day and stop having children?

Maybe they want to go the route of Philippe and Mathilde of Belgium and have a perfectly matched set of two boys and two girls...good for them.

Leave them alone!

 

[Osipi]

The blessing of it being 2017 is that people can actually choose the size of a family they want. My mom was one of 7. My dad was one of 2 but his brother had 10 kids. Of course being from strict Catholic families, birth control never entered their minds when it came to family size.

Will and Kate most definitely can love and support as big of a family as they want and there's no one that can say otherwise. Its their family. Its their choice and prerogative to do as they please in this matter.

 

[soapstar]

But none since then?
LaRae

No clue. There's not much public info about Kate's extended family.

Twins would just be so awesome!! If she does end up having twins, I wonder if they would announce that ahead of time or just let everyone be happily surprised.

I would imagine that they would announce it ahead of time.

So rumour is that Catherine is eleven weeks gone as William said they would celebrate next week, according to papers this implies she will pass the crucial 12 week mark. If true that would be a March 2018 birth.

Yep, it definitely sounds like that's the case. Here's a bit more of William's comments.

Prince William out for first time since pregnancy news | Daily Mail Online

 

[O-H Anglophile]

So rumour is that Catherine is eleven weeks gone as William said they would celebrate next week, according to papers this implies she will pass the crucial 12 week mark. If true that would be a March 2018 birth.

Hmm, I was guessing between 9 and 10 weeks, so maybe not too far off. Hope she feels much better soon and gets to glow.

 

[Skippyboo]

There is actually a lot information about Kate's family. Claudia Joseph wrote a entire book about it in 2009.

As for twins, Mike Middleton has three brothers. Only his brother Nicholas has kids, Adam & Lucy. As stated earlier, the fraternal twins comes from the mom, so Mike and his brothers could pass the twin gene down to their kids but the females would be the only ones affected. Kate's cousin Lucy has no kids, Pippa no kids, Kate is the only one with kids. Cousin Adam and James are only potential carriers.

 

[miss whirley]

There is actually a lot information about Kate's family. Claudia Joseph wrote a entire book about it in 2009.

As for twins, Mike Middleton has three brothers. Only his brother Nicholas has kids, Adam & Lucy. As stated earlier, the fraternal twins comes from the mom, so Mike and his brothers could pass the twin gene down to their kids but the females would be the only ones affected. Kate's cousin Lucy has no kids, Pippa no kids, Kate is the only one with kids. Cousin Adam and James are only potential carriers.

Adam and Lucy are Richard's kids.

Also, since Simon married a younger woman in 2011 it's possible he's become a father in the last 6 years.

 

[akina21]

The other side of the coin

The Times of London @thetimes
Welcome to the posh large family club, Kate: having lots of children still has a certain cachet, writes @hwallop

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...ement-_-Unspecified-_-TWITTER&linkId=41851220

I wasn't aware I grew up in a large posh family You learn something new every day .

 

[cepe]

I'm confused re this quote where William apparently said "celebrate next week" hence Catherine's 10-11 weeks.

Ive only seen this quote (sources: Telegraph and Times)

"Thank you, it’s very good news. We need Catherine to get over this first bit and then we can start celebrating. It’s always a bit anxious to start with"

so tht doesnt give any indication of timescale at all.

 

[Skippyboo]

The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child: September 2017

There is a video. It's in the DM article and the longer form on itn source. It does sound like he says next week after celebrating, but it's not crystal clear.

Where are the royal wedding lip readers when you need one.

 

[Dman]

Picture Clip:
William's Comments-
World of Windsor : bookgeekroyalist: Prince William shares his...

So basically they are waiting for the major part of her sickness to end and then they will celebrate.

 

[hel]

There's a video from the Telegraph on Youtube, which offers the benefit of being able to play the video at a slower speed.

Listening to it with a reduced speed, I don't hear "next week".. he gets a bit mumbly at that point as he goes into "it's always a bit anxious" and there was a burst of camera shutters just before, which makes it slightly more difficult to hear him.

 

[Thena]

Spotted this headline on my lunch break and wanted to scream.

How Prince William and Kate Middleton are breaking 58-year royal tradition



There is no tradition; it's just how the dice rolled. The Wales and York marriages imploded after the birth of the second child. Mark Phillips had two extra children, just not with Princess Anne. And Edward and Sophie could have had three if they hadn't lost an ectopic pregnancy before Louise was born.

 

[BritishRoyalist]

Spotted this headline on my lunch break and wanted to scream.

How Prince William and Kate Middleton are breaking 58-year royal tradition



There is no tradition; it's just how the dice rolled. The Wales and York marriages imploded after the birth of the second child. Mark Phillips had two extra children, just not with Princess Anne. And Edward and Sophie could have had three if they hadn't lost an ectopic pregnancy before Louise was born.

I agree here. There no 'breaking of tradition" here. Hello Magazine is just a gossip rag nothing more.

It just a weird coincidence that each of the Queen Children have only 2 Kids. nothing else., It just happened to work out that way. Diana also had a Miscarriage in late 1982. had that pregnancy went to full term and born healthy she very well could have still had Harry. at that point making 3 Kids there. I do agree about Charles and Diana & Andrew and Sarah that it had more to do with marriage failing. The Wales marriage was broken by 1985 and Yorks were only Married 5 Years before separated and Eugene was very young. only 2 years old.

In Anne case it b very well could be she decided not to have any more after Zara. It not like she was gonna be Queen someday and her Kids were gonna succeed her. But also Marital woes could played part as well.

 

[Iluvbertie]

I doubt that Edward and Sophie would have had a third if the first hadn't ended the way it did for the simple reason that Sophie nearly died having Louise.

As for Charles and Diana - Charles only ever wanted two. It was Diana who wanted three and after Charles had the second he was gone so he would never have had a third anyway.

I do find it strange to be having a third when Charles reportedly, with William's agreement, wants a smaller royal family when the main reason it is so large now is that George V and Elizabeth II each had so many kids. Having a third means a larger family in the future rather than it getting smaller - although they could just limit 'duties' to the monarch and spouse and heir and spouse and tell the others 'get real jobs and stick at them until you retire' and that would give the BRF the smaller look that Charles believes the people want.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

Spotted this headline on my lunch break and wanted to scream.

How Prince William and Kate Middleton are breaking 58-year royal tradition



There is no tradition; it's just how the dice rolled. The Wales and York marriages imploded after the birth of the second child. Mark Phillips had two extra children, just not with Princess Anne. And Edward and Sophie could have had three if they hadn't lost an ectopic pregnancy before Louise was born.

What a stupid article! Are the media that sheltered to think that maybe, just maybe, William and Catherine would decide THEMSELVES the size of their family? The media is almost disgusted that William and Catherine are showing the true meaning of a marriage - PARTNERSHIP! How dare they!

I find this article so insulting!

 

[Ish]

Spotted this headline on my lunch break and wanted to scream.

How Prince William and Kate Middleton are breaking 58-year royal tradition



There is no tradition; it's just how the dice rolled. The Wales and York marriages imploded after the birth of the second child. Mark Phillips had two extra children, just not with Princess Anne. And Edward and Sophie could have had three if they hadn't lost an ectopic pregnancy before Louise was born.

How can it be a 58 year royal tradition if Andrew and Edward (the 3rd and 4th children of the Queen and DoE) are 57 and 53?

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Because the headline writer didn't read the text carefully and assumed. They saw 58 years in the text and boom--inaccurate headline.

While many in the royal family have 2 children, a number have more.
The Queen-4 children
The Duke of Kent-3 children
Earl of St Andrews-3 children
Lady Helen Taylor-4 children
Lord Nicholas Windsor-3 children
The Duke of Gloucester-3 children

 

[Countessmeout]

In fairness the article does mention the extended family. The writer was saying in the immediate family, the tradition was to have two. That it had been 58 years since anyone in the immediate family had announced a third pregnancy. Which certainly is true enough. Though as discussed before, it wasn't so much a choice with most. Though some couples do use babies as a bandaid, to try and save a marriage, so it could be argued surprise none tried.

 

[Curryong]

The Gloucesters might have had three children because their first two were girls. As Prince Richard was the only surviving male of his generation (brother dead, his mother Princess Alice had children late plus several miscarriages) and perhaps they wanted the Gloucester title to go down to another generation.

 

[Yashal]

The Gloucesters might have had three children because their first two were girls. As Prince Richard was the only surviving male of his generation (brother dead, his mother Princess Alice had children late plus several miscarriages) and perhaps they wanted the Gloucester title to go down to another generation.

Actually the Earl of Ulster is the eldest of their three children.

 

[Biri]

Queen's cousin George Lascelles, Earl of Harewood also had four children (only sons)
His sons:
David - four (his daughter Emily has three)
James - four
Jeremy - four
Mark - three.

 

[Dman]

I wonder if Catherine will ever talk about her illness and help shine a light on this severe morning sickness?

https://www.express.co.uk/life-styl...ickness-hyperemesis-gravidarum-royal-baby/amp

All mothers suffering from these complications deserve the best care possible.

 

[Osipi]

One thing for sure, women who suffer from HG most likely can and do exhibit their own fair share of mental issues. Not having HG but going through some pretty severe morning sickness three times in my life, I can attest to that fact.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I know that the palace confirmed that Kate suffered from HG when pregnant with George, has the palace confirmed the same thing with Charlotte and Baby No 3 that it is HG again or 'only' from severe morning sickness?
Last week I met a friend who became a midwife recently and she told me that there is a difference between the 2 and that suffering from HG during one pregnancy doesnt mean that it is HG again at the next one. Apologies if this has been discussed alrealdy.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

I know that the palace confirmed that Kate suffered from HG when pregnant with George, has the palace confirmed the same thing with Charlotte and Baby No 3 that it is HG again or 'only' from severe morning sickness?
Last week I met a friend who became a midwife recently and she told me that there is a difference between the 2 and that suffering from HG during one pregnancy doesnt mean that it is HG again at the next one. Apologies if this has been discussed alrealdy.

The announcement from KP specifically said "As with her two previous pregnancies, The Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum."

 

[Molly2101]

I know that the palace confirmed that Kate suffered from HG when pregnant with George, has the palace confirmed the same thing with Charlotte and Baby No 3 that it is HG again or 'only' from severe morning sickness?
Last week I met a friend who became a midwife recently and she told me that there is a difference between the 2 and that suffering from HG during one pregnancy doesnt mean that it is HG again at the next one. Apologies if this has been discussed alrealdy.

I'm a midwife and there is a difference between the two. Having HG with the first pregnancy predisposes you to having it the second time, but it does not always mean you will. Severe morning sickness is something that the vast majority of women suffer from in pregnancy and it normally resolves after 14 weeks. The causes of morning sickness vary but the main reason women are extremely sick is due to the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin which is secreted after the implantation process, hence why it normally resolves after a few weeks. It's a positive sign that the pregnancy is going well, although if you ask any women, their experience is anything but positive.

HG is often associated with severe weight loss and dehydration, which is why a lot of women end up with NG tubes in pregnancy if they suffer from HG. Charlotte Bronte died of HG in the 1800's, although at the time it was not known as HG. She died of severe dehydration associated with extreme nausea.

Kate may just be suffering from the usual morning sickness with this pregnancy as she's in the early stages of pregnancy. This feeling of constant nausea and exhaustion is hard to deal with, nevermind having to go out in public and put a brave face on. It's to be expected that she will cancel some engagements as she may not feel up to being seen. Sophie cancelled a few engagements in May/June 2007 before her pregnancy with James was announced, even cancelling on the day like Kate did. The palace just said she was "unwell". Morning sickness is extremely debilitating and every woman copes differently.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Thanks to you both for confirming/explaining!

 

[Countessmeout]

I wonder if Catherine will ever talk about her illness and help shine a light on this severe morning sickness?

https://www.express.co.uk/life-styl...ickness-hyperemesis-gravidarum-royal-baby/amp

All mothers suffering from these complications deserve the best care possible.

It would be a great cause for her to take up. Maybe dealing with issues of HG and possible post pardum would be a good draw in for Kate. Having an actual connection to HG would make it so much more meaningful having her talking to people and supporting it.