Kate Middleton to Miss Friend's Wedding Due to Pregnancy
Kate Middleton will be staying home rather than traveling nearly 300 miles to attend a friend's wedding close to her due date. William, who is the best man, will still attend with his brother, Harry and his girlfriend, Cressida Bonas.
"The birth may be a few weeks off but there is still a very slim risk she could go into labor," a source told The Sun. "Kate is gutted – as are Tom and Melissa – but she decided not to take any chances."
The Duchess of Cambridge has officially retired from attending public events and will spend the remaining weeks of her pregnancy close to home. Her last royal appearance was last week, when she attended the Trooping the Color ceremony with other members of the Royal Family.
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The groom, Thomas Van Straubenzee, is a friend of both William and Harry's and even traveled to New Zealand with William during his gap year. He is set to marry Lady Melissa Percy at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. Pippa Middleton attended Percy's older sister's wedding in 2011.
Middleton has less than four weeks to go until the newest Royal arrives, and she has been quite busy making plans for his or her arrival. Meanwhile, William has continued to work for the Royal Air Force as a Search and Rescue pilot. He may actually miss the birth of his child if duty calls.
"He will be working up until the birth and plans to take the two weeks paternity leave he is entitled to with the RAF," a source told the Daily Mirror.
The world has been captivated with the soon-to-be baby, who will be third in line to the throne. However, one big question still remains: will it be a boy or a girl? St. James' palace aides, who work for the Royal Family, confirmed that even the parents don't know.
"[They] do not know and do not plan to find out the gender of the baby in advance," they said in a statement.
