Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge receives flowers from 3-year old Isobelle Laursen, left, during her visit to Humberside Fire and Rescue Station in Grimsby, north Engalnd, Tues., March 5, 2013. Her Royal Highness met many local people during her visit and people involved in a personal development course run by The Prince’s Trust and delivered in partnership with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.Owen Humphreys/The Associated Press
Daughter. She meant to say "daughter," right?
That's what royal watchers are anxiously wanting to know, after Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, stopped herself midsentence after she was given a teddy bear.
"Thank you, I'll take that for my d–-," she said, according to The Telegraph, before catching herself.
When asked by a well-wisher whether she meant to say "daughter," the Duchess reportedly replied: "We're not telling."
The royal baby, due in July, is arguably the world's most-anticipated VIP offspring, not least of all because he or she will one day take the throne. So it's no wonder that the Duchess's baby bump (barely noticeable though it may yet be) is under intense public scrutiny and any potential hints about the sex of the child are quickly seized upon.
Earlier reports about the Duchess's severe morning sickness during early pregnancy already had some royal watchers venturing that she is having a girl, since the condition, called hyperemesis gravidarum, is said to be more prevalent among expectant mothers who have girls. And in the event that the royal baby is, indeed, a girl, the British government has agreed to change the succession laws that would allow a female heir to take the throne without being displaced in line by a younger male sibling.
The Canadian government put forth a bill earlier this year to support the change. Of course, as the Telegraph reports, the sex of royal babies are never announced in advance. So the Duchess could very well be having either a boy or a girl.
Maybe she had meant to say she would take the teddy bear for her dog, Lupo. Or for her dear sister, Pippa. Or her darling Duke.
We'll just have to wait a few more months to find out.
Wency Leung