Wills & Kate It’s baby number three for the popular royals!

A sibling for George & Charlotte There’s excitement in the palace as Kate and William prepare to make a big announcement – there’s another royal rascal on the way!

Tenderly touching her stomach as she made her way onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the Duchess of Cambridge couldn’t hide her huge smile as the royals gathered to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday.

Now Woman’s Day can reveal the truth behind her glowing happiness… baby number three is on its way! Kate, 35, and Prince William are said to be readying themselves to make the exciting announcement in the coming weeks.

“Kate’s ecstatic at getting pregnant again,” a palace insider reveals exclusively. “She and Wills have been trying for some time for a third baby and the timing couldn’t be better. George is turning four next month and starting school, and Charlotte has just turned two.

“Plus Pippa’s wedding has come and gone so she doesn’t need to worry about that. Kate and Wills are over the moon.”

It’s hoped the news will soothe tension in the palace. As Woman’s Day reported last week, relations between William, 35, and his dad Prince Charles are under pressure following the recently released Princess Diana tapes that detail Charles’s shortcomings as a husband and father. His marriage to Camilla is also under strain as she struggles to deal with the increased scrutiny.

There’s hope a baby could be just the ticket for mending these reopened wounds. For now, only a few close members of the family are privy to Kate and William’s exciting news. But, for seasoned Katewatchers, the signs of her early pregnancy have all been there.

Not only was she spotted touching her belly and covering it with her handbag at a series of royal events last week – as if in disbelief at her good news – but the protective affection being lavished on her by Wills is clear to see.

Just days later, when the couple joined the rest of the royals for Ascot’s opening day, they were spotted sharing knowing glances and smiles.

Although it’s thought the couple are yet to learn if they’re having a boy or a girl, Kate’s decision to step out in an all-pink outfit had eagled-eyed fans wondering if perhaps her motherly instinct is telling her it could be a little sister for George and Charlotte.

“Kate is the happiest she’s ever been and she’s got a husband who absolutely dotes on her as well as a job that – much to her surprise – she adores,” says our palace source, who adds Kate is enjoying her increased royal workload, as she prepares to send her eldest off to school.

“Becoming a mum has given her so much confidence. For a while with the royals she always used to feel like an outsider, but

‘Kate keeps telling friends she can’t believe how lucky she is’

she’s now earned herself a huge place in people’s hearts. She keeps telling friends she can’t believe how lucky she is.”

With two siblings of her own – Pippa, 33, and James, 30 – Kate has long said she too would love to have three children. And now, she’s finally seeing that dream become a reality.

William too is keen to expand their family, with insiders saying the future king is relishing his fatherhood role. That ease with his children was obvious as he joked around with a thrilled George and Charlotte during the Queen’s birthday celebrations.

Pulling funny faces and pointing out the planes flying

overhead, the young dad was in his element playing with his adored children. And that joy was only topped by the knowledge his brood will be expanding. Indeed, Wills and Kate aren’t the only ones doting on the cheeky little prince and princess, and there was no denying the too-cute royals stole the show when the family gathered for the annual Trooping the Colour parade. For now, Kate has managed to stave off the crippling morning sickness that has struck her in her previous pregnancies. But, even if it should hit, sources at the palace say Kate will do everything she can to ride it out and keep her smile firmly in place. “She’s a trooper like that – she just grits her teeth and gets on with it. You won’t ever hear her complain, not even once. And she knows it will all be worth it

‘She’s a trooper like that – she just grits her teeth and gets on with it’

when she’s finally holding her new baby in her arms.”

With the pair set to relocate to London ahead of George’s first day at big school in September – they’ll set up home at Kensington Palace – there’s no denying this royal bub will have a slightly different upbringing to George and Charlotte’s early days in country Norfolk.

But with Kate and Wills both determined to give their little ones as “normal” a childhood as possible, it’s safe to say royal baby number three will be just as happy and content as its siblings.