Kate Middleton Baby: Duchess To Scale Back Commitments Ahead Of Birth

Kate Middleton is expected to scale back her commitments as she enters the final stages of her pregnancy...

Kate Middleton is expected to scale back her official commitments as she enters the later stages of her pregnancy.

Although the Duchess of Cambridge looked happy and healthy, showing off a prominent baby bump and the annual garden party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, it's thought her official visits will now become fewer and more far between.

KATE MIDDLETON AND BABY BUMP WOW IN EMILIA WICKSTEAD

Kate Middleton is expected to take on less and less in the coming months, with reports suggesting she'll move out of London altogether and stay at her parents' home in Bucklebury, Berkshire in the final weeks before her due date.

This comes ahead of the birth of her first child, on July 13.

It has been confirmed, Kate Middleton will take part in the naming ceremony of Princess Cruises' new liner Royal Princess in Southampton on June 13, exactly one month before the royal baby is due.

The pregnant Duchess will enjoy a brief tour of the shiny new ship - which boasts a 27 bars and restaurants, a 280-seat entertainment area and a glass-bottomed walkway - before it sets sail on it's maiden voyage on June 16.

But after this, it's thought Kate is keeping the remainder of her diary clear. 

At the beginning of July, it's thought Kate Middleton will return to her family home in Berkshire, to prepare for the royal arrival.

Reports suggest the Duchess could even choose to give birth at a hospital local to the Middletons' family home, after it was revealed her family are in favour of the idea.

'Kate’s family want the baby to be born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital,' a family friend told the Telegraph.

'Their thinking is that she will be based at her parents’ house during the later stages of her pregnancy and they do not want her to have to travel miles to Paddington when she goes into labour.'

It's thought Kate's surgeon-gynaecologist Alan Farthing, who also looks after the Queen, will travel to whichever hospital the the Duke and Duchess choose.

Insiders say Kate Middleton will then spend at least the first six weeks after the birth of her first child away from the spotlight, at her parents' home, before returning to London.

The £4.85 million seven-bedroom Georgian manor, which the Middleton family purchased last year, comes with 18 acres of land, and 'fantastic views'.

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