Duchess Kate Makes First Public Appearance Since Announcing Pregnancy
— -- The Duchess of Cambridge stepped out for a royal engagement today in London, her first since announcing her second pregnancy last month.
Kate, 32, joined her husband, Prince William, in welcoming the president and first lady of Singapore to the U.K. for their state visit with the queen.
There were no signs of the health issue that forced Kate to announce her pregnancy Sept. 8, as the duchess dazzled in an Alexander McQueen dress.
“She's feeling OK," Prince William said at that time, referring to the hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition characterized by acute morning sickness, that kept Kate out of the spotlight. "[It's the] early days but I hope things settle down and she feels a bit better."
The palace announced Monday that Kate, who is believed to be just past the 12-week period, is due with her and Prince William’s second child in April 2015, meaning the baby’s birth will come right around the time the couple celebrates their fourth wedding anniversary.
Today, the focus was all on the couple's royal duties as they greeted Singapore's president and his wife at London's Royal Garden Hotel.
The two couples then traveled together to Horse Guards Parade, where the Singaporean leader received a full ceremonial welcome, including a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace with William, Kate and the queen and her husband, Prince Philip.
Kate was not planning to attend today’s private lunch hosted by the queen, however, leaving that duty to Prince William alone.
Neither Kate nor William will attend the state dinner. Instead, Kate will be at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum. She is a royal patron of the museum.
Prior to today’s event, Kate, the mother of 1-year-old Prince George, had not been seen in public since Aug. 5, when she attended the opening of a poppy exhibition at the Tower of London commemorating those lost in World War I.
The palace announced Kate's pregnancy a few weeks later when she was forced to cancel an engagement in Oxford with William. She has been recovering with the help of her doctors at Kensington Palace and at her parents' home in Bucklebury.
