As the world awaits the second royal baby, Kate Middleton and her family are busy preparing the Anmer Hall nursery with the help of her mother, Carole. Meanwhile, Prince William gets an early break from his ambulance pilot training. He has reportedly gone back to London in time for his second child's birth.
E! Online said that the duchess' mother has been helping out with the renovation of the baby nursery at the royal couple's home early on. Carole, 60, is also going to be staying with Kate and Prince William once the new baby is born. The grandmother did the same with Prince George two years ago. The report goes on to say that Carole will most likely keep her focus on the toddler as soon as the second one arrives.
According to Closer Weekly, the other grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, are "baffled" by this kind of arrangement. However, a former butler of the royal family said that this goes with royal dictates. "Never before has it been such a shared experience with the in-laws," said Paul Burrell, who worked as butler for Princess Diana, Prince William's mother. The closeness between the Middleton mother and daughter only shows "a clear, strong signal of how important Carole is to Kate and William," added Burrell.
Meanwhile, NY Daily News reports that Prince William got an early paternity leave when his ambulance pilot training was finished earlier than expected. The second-time father will not be expected to return to work until June 1, said Vanity Fair, which means he will have a whole month to enjoy the new baby and attend to other royal engagements as Kate recuperates. His brother, Prince Harry, is also expected to back in London this weekend for the London Marathon. If Kate gives birth before then, he will be able to see his new niece or nephew before heading to Australia on April 27.
It's obviously a busy and highly anticipated time at the palace, but in the middle of these reports, People Magazine said that Queen Elizabeth must not be disturbed should Kate give birth at dawn when everyone is sleeping. "I wouldn't think anyone will be waking the queen before 8 a.m.," remarked a palace insider to the magazine.
Any official announcement about royal baby number 2 will have to wait until after the Queen herself has been told, as this is part of royal protocols and guidelines. Official announcements to the baby's birth will be coming from the Kensington Palace's Twitter account, according to People.
