Duchess Of Cambridge Visits Children's Hospice
By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent:
The Duchess of Cambridge has kicked off Children's Hospices week with a visit to Naomi House in Hampshire, which provides care and support for children with life-limiting diseases.
The solo visit, on the day of her second wedding anniversary, comes after the Duchess released her first ever recorded message, filmed last month at Clarence House.
During her visit Kate, now nearly seven-months' pregnant, joined a tea party with some of the Naomi House children and their families as part of a week of fundraising for children's hospices.
It is traditional for couples to exchange a gift made from cotton on their second wedding anniversary so during her visit Kate was presented with an embroidered Hungry Caterpillar sewn onto a cotton background.
When asked if the Duke had something special planned this evening to celebrate their anniversary, the Duchess replied that sadly "he's on shift."
But as Kate conducted her fifth engagement in nine days, it seems the royal mum-to-be has been equally busy preparing for parenthood.
In recent days the Duchess has been spotted shopping with mother Carole Middleton, buying all the essentials for her future son or daughter's nursery at Kensington Palace.
After having lunch together in South Kensington, Kate and her mother were spotted buying a Moses basket from an up-market baby boutique.
But while the neutral colour gave no indication of her child's gender, another purchase has led some to believe a male heir is on the way.
At a recent drinks reception for Army wives in Aldershot, Kate is understood to have said she has bought a Bugaboo in light blue - which many have taken to mean she is expecting a boy.
William and Kate are thought to have chosen not to know their baby's gender, with Kate admitting at an engagement in Glasgow that she and the Duke have a list of boys and girls names on standby.
Kate's baby, who will replace Prince Harry as third-in-line to the throne, is due in mid-July. But what remains unclear is which hospital the Duchess has chosen to given birth in.
It is also widely predicted that Kate will spend her first weeks as a new mother with her parents at their £4.8m home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
Kate may have become a member of the trendy Bugaboo Brigade, but for now her mind remains focused on raising the profile of Children's Hospices Week.
Meanwhile, as part of the effort to raise money for Children's Hospices Week, some of the most well-known royal bloggers and tweeters are joining forces.
The Baby Cambridge Fundraiser - a collaboration between British Royals, Kate Middleton Style, A Petite Princess, HRH Duchess Kate and What Kate Wore, is aiming to raise more than £3,000 for Kate's Patronage East Anglia's Children's Hospices.
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