I’ve barely given any thought to the fact that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will welcome a third child in a few months. I mean, we’ve talked about her pregnancy and what it will mean for their work schedule (cough), but we haven’t actually done half the stories about “what will the name be?” and “I wonder if it’s a boy or a girl.” I think part of that is simply about… this is their third time around, and obviously excitement has dulled. I also think William and Kate already have one of each, so they’re probably feeling more like “whatever happens is fine.”
The bookies believe they have the inside track though: apparently, most gamblers believe Kate is carrying a girl, and that the little princess will probably be named Mary. Mary has now bumped the previous “favorite” name of Alice, which is now on the same level (gambling-wise) as Alexandra and Victoria. I personally don’t think Alexandra and Victoria are truly in the mix, but I’ve been wrong before. I do think Mary and Alice are good bets though. God knows, they might even just go with Elizabeth (Charlotte has Elizabeth as a middle name, but whatever, it’s been done before). If they have a boy, the favorite names are Albert and Arthur. Neither of which light my fire – I wonder why people aren’t wagering on Philip? Or James, or Michael.
As for the help William and Kate will have when this baby comes… according to Us Weekly, they’re not planning on hiring anyone else. Poor Nanny Maria.
Duchess Kate knows what to expect now that she’s expecting for the third time. Shortly after the 36-year-old learned she was pregnant, she booked a suite in the ultra-exclusive Lindo Wing of London’s St. Mary’s Hospital — the same spot where she welcomed Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2 — for her April due date and asked the royal’s Ob-Gyn, 54-year-old Alan Farthing, to handle delivery duties. As a source reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly, “He postponed his retirement to do it!”
But other than her trusted physician, Kate and husband Prince William, 35, haven’t tapped any other pros to help with their third heir. (He or she will become fifth in line for the British throne, bumping down Uncle Harry.)
With the kids’ nanny, Maria Borrallo, and a house assistant in place, says a source, “They didn’t feel the need for an additional nanny.” Since both George and Charlotte are in school — she recently started at London’s Willcocks Nursery School — “they feel they can handle everything with the same arrangement as before,” says the source.
Nor are they scooping up tons of new clothes and toys. While they’ve earmarked one of their 22 rooms in Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A to serve as nursery, says a source, “It will be filled with hand-me-downs and George and Charlotte’s old toys.”
And equipped with two very knowledgeable parents. “At this point,” says the source, “they’re extremely confident in their parenting abilities — they’re absolute pros.”
“With the kids’ nanny, Maria Borrallo, and a house assistant in place…” They need to give up this particular ghost. We all know they have loads of help, from assistants to communications people to chefs and kitchen workers to household staff. They live in the largest “apartment” in Kensington Palace and they just got permission to dig underneath the palace to build more space for all of the staff they need. And honestly, that’s what people expect! We know they have dozens of staffers! It’s the lying that pisses me off, like we’re supposed to believe that Will and Kate live in a palace with soon-to-be three children and they just “make do” with one house assistant and a nanny. Because they’re SO normal, you guys.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
IIRC, the same was said about Charlotte’s impending birth and it came out a few months later that they had indeed hired another nanny.
They always play this ‘we-have-no-staff / skeleton-staff’ game until it comes up that they host christmas parties for over 30 household staff!!!
Or an unknown long term staff member quits, noisily too.
In this case, they advertised last summer for a third person to add to the 2-man nursery staff. Someone with expert knowledge in child behaviour problems.
Lak – are you implying that they have a child with behavior issues or they just needed a staff member who could deal with it if it came up? Just curious.
Jeanne: who knows? That was the wording of the ad. I’m surprised the press didn’t leap on it to ask the same question that you are asking.
My assumption (nee speculation) is that they want someone with that expertise to head off any problems should they manifest.
“Someone with expert knowledge in child behaviour problems.” Was that for the children or the parents?
Just joking.
Re: low wages for the “honour” of working for the BRF. Would it be that people put up with BS while working for the BRF, included for a low wage and long hours, so that they could command high wages in the private sector after they’d finished working for the BRF? I’ve read here I think of minimum wage except for child care.
They do have more staff then they report. But i think char’s nurse was for limited time so they fudged it by saying no growth to full time staff.
I also remember they had a high turnover of staff because they make them do a lot more than their job description and longer hours. So they just increase the workload on their staff without hiring more.
They sound awful to work for. Poor Nanny Maria.
Yes, the staff at Anmer were supposed to cook, shop, take care of the dogs. And wages are low because of the “honor” of working for the royals.
Actually, the expert was for William!
If they go for ‘Mary’ i much rather prefer Maria.
No – Maria is not a British name. Mary is the English equivalent of Maria – and it is a royal name too. (And I love the name – my daughter, mother and grandmother were or are all Mary) Heck – it’s a “grand old name” – thanks George M. Cohan!
Mary is too close to Mare for my taste. Maybe that’s just me.
and name the child after the nanny? how déclassé
Name her Maria? Shudder!
I think it will be a boy. If you noticed the sweaters they got for presents on the Scandinavian tour, Char and Kate got red, Will and George got black, and there was another little BLACK sweater labelled “for the new little prince or princess”. While I think Philip will be in there to honor his great grandfather, I kind of like some of the other choices, especially Henry and Alexander (personal preference as it’s my younger nephew’s name 😊). Love Alice for a girl.
Don’t bother worrying its a boy. They need another boy, so that at least one of them goes into the military.
Girls should be called Elizabeth. Or Mary.
-Queenie.
Yea I assume they will hire another person. Like cmon.
Me too. They have tried to sound frugal every time they have a child. With George they weren’t going to have any nannies. That quickly changed. Ditto with Charlotte. I expect the same pattern of behavior with the third child.
That’s the story we are getting now. Wait until after the birth. Then the story will change to “Gosh, we didn’t realize how much work 3 kids could be”.
Exactly what will happen.
They will have another nanny, but only because they are both so keen to plan to keenly increase their engagements in the near but unspecified future.
I am laughing at the “absolute pros” comment. I have two kids roughly George and Charlotte’s ages and I feel like anything but a pro. I guess I’ve got diaper changing down to an art. But I feel like 3 year olds live to just make you feel incompetent, lol.
Anyway, agree with you Kaiser. It’s the lying that irks me. I expect them to have at least one full time nanny and maybe a part time assistant (maybe that’s the “house assistant” or whatever?) and I expect them to have a full staff for cleaning and other household duties. Kate’s not scrubbing toilets. And I don’t blame her – I wouldn’t do if I didn’t have to!
I agree Becks. And all babies are different. What they are probably getting good at is dumping the kids on the nannies.
It is the lying that bothers me. I would expect them to have a head Nanny, Maria and two nursery aids and a night nurse. With the new baby, I would presume another aid for the baby.
The aids usually take care of mundane tasks and specific duties under Maria’s direction.
We know they aren’t doing that. It isn’t a scandal.
I’m pretty sure it’s already been reported that they have more than one nanny. Nanny Maria is just the publicised one.
Oh, and pre-George they were saying they weren’t going to have any nannies at all.
Nanny Maria has to have time off.
The number of staff will increase with child #3 and growing toddlers requiring more attention. I’m just trying to imagine the number of household staff, but I have no idea if they are exclusive to their household (the Cambridges) or shared with Harry.
A 22-room apartment for a family of soon 5 plus at least 2 live-in staff (nannies for the children, not the Dolittles), plus cleaning staff for such a big place, chef, kitchen help, butler for Willnot, whatever female equivalent for Kannot. Plus office staff. And with all these people to support them, they show so little. It’s shameful.
Wait, what??? They’re digging into the ground beneath the palace? How did I miss this?
How dig under the palace. It’s a billion years old. Who would live there?
They are digging under the orangery. It’s going to be office space and storage space.
Storage space for all her coats maybe?
As LAK points out, it isn’t under their 50 room (not 22 room) Apartment 1A. It is a two story basement for storage and staff housing for The Orangery event venue and staff for the KP museum.
Is it somewhat related to W&K? Yes-ish. W&K pushed the museum and museum staff out of 1A which caused a domino affect. Ditto the takeover of Apartments 8 & 9 for W&K&H office staff. W&K had an office staff of over two dozen within the first year.
“a source” speaking to US Weekly
LOL
April due date? She carries really small this time, doesn’t she? I barely saw a bump in the scandinavia trip pictures.
And yeah, no, stop lying about your staff, no one believes you anyway.
Albert and Arthur are the boy names Charles had picked out for Harry, per Diana. She allowed them as middle names, but insisted on not using either as a first name.
I LOVE Alice and I’m middling on Mary. I do hope its a girl.
Every time I see Alice I remember that song: “Alice?! Alice?! Who the f8%! is Alice?!” – anywho another mouth to feed for us plebs so who cares what they name it. I just wish they’d pay for their kids out of their own pocket like every other parent.
Don’t forget Grandma Carole will be on hand to help (take over) the household.
So the “house assistant” is code for second sous nanny, or they already hired a third nanny and that’s what the mean by “not hiring any more” –because they already hired one.
Yeah, whatever. Rich people doing rich people things, hiring rich people staff. It’s a little offensive that they think we’re stupid but again … rich people.
The enormous difference being – it isn’t their money. All the household staff being paid out of The Duchy are paid (by taxpayers) so these two can grow up, get out there, and get to work.
They take millions out of the Duchy each year to support their lifestyle, give back so little, and keep spinning the “we’re normal” mantra. Getting very old.
I’m just curious as to why British people are (a) so passive about the Cambridge’s (and Harry for that matter) low workload comparative to their high spending, and (b) why Brits think that William is ‘serious’ and should bypass Charles. They all seem redundant to me and a huge waste of public money.
Do you have any idea what we are dealing with here? Brexit is killing us, and half of the country has no idea. The royals are a tiny drop in the bucket of state spending. If we don’t get a customs union with the EU, we’re screwed.
People complaining that W&K are pretending to be normal, would you be happier if they put on airs and graces and started rubbing our noses in it? They know that they are not ‘normal’ but are trying to be as normal as they can within the suffocating restrictions of royal life.
They do put on airs and graces, lie constantly about what staff they have (paid by taxpayers both at the office and at home), and work far less than the bare minimum. Cannot understand why anyone keeps defending their behavior.
I don’t know for certain if the third baby is a girl but I wasn’t surprised Charlotte arrived. William wanted a girl the first time around
Sperm washing is easy. If William wanted a second girl then it’s a girl. It’s not like they can’t afford sperm washing. If no sperm washing involved at all then it’s my bet Kate would be giving birth to a third boy.
It’s illegal in the uk – notwithstanding they are royal, I’d be v surprised if any medical professional agreed to it. They’d lose their licence if the HFEA found out. Plus do you really believe they used ivf?
Re staff – I believe they won’t hire another nanny. I would put money on them hiring an au pair type (obv not an actual 18 year old sulky French girl but an after school type arrangement) or an additional housekeeper/babysitter type.
ITs all gone very quiet on their planning application for a mega basement at Kensington Palace and The Orangery being an add on addition much to the Kensington neighbours disgust
Pure fan fiction, this. And who books a birthing suite right after learning they’re pregnant?
Unless you are also booking a C-section, how can you possibly know what day/days you need the suite? Is it supposed to sit empty until she needs it? I ask because beds are at a premium in the hospitals here. There just aren’t enough of them. A local town recently built an 8-story addition to the hospital, and it sits empty because there is no staff or money for staff so it can be utilized.
I had my baby in the Lindo and I booked in with my ob gyn & a place at the Lindo when I was 6 weeks pregnant – just after I found out. They only have a limited number of spaces so you do have to get in really early. That’s just how it works in London. Once you’re booked in obv your actual due date depends on when you go into labour. For kate (who presumably books out the whole ward) I’m guessing they make arrangements to have other mothers go to another hospital if they go into labour when she’s there.
Interesting. I had no idea.
Does Kate appear happy and I meant truly really happy in any pics?
Seriously? Ding her for her work ethic or lame wardrobe but if she looks “truly happy”?! Yes-I’ve seen tons of pictures where she looks happy.
Why even tell people if you’re hiring or not hiring a nanny? It’s nobody’s business.
Depends on who is paying.
That is the part I don’t like. I feel like they are being purposely vague and lying because the public would be upset if they knew how much they spend. Spend less, and no one will mind. Work more and they won’t either.
They still baffle me. I don’t understand why they act this way.
Exactly, I am sure this is all innuendo and anonymous sources, it really isn’t our business.
I like Mary Alice.