She’s keeping mum about the sex of her third child, who is due in April, but the Duchess of Cambridge may have been dropping a subtle hint this morning as she arrived in Coventry wearing a bright pink Mulberry coat
The mother-to-be, 36, wore the coat twice during both her pregnancy with Princess Charlotte – on a visit to the 9/11 memorial in New York in December 2014 and at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford in March 2015, her final engagement before giving birth.
William and Kate, unusually, arrived by train accompanied by a small entourage to spend a day in Coventry celebrating the city’s history, people and heritage and arrived to their first engagement at Coventry Cathedral to cheers from hundreds of flag-waving schoolchildren.
When William and Kate were last in the Midlands, they were given whistles during a visit to a famous factory.
On seeing them again, Connie Hudson, wife of the High Sheriff of the West Midlands who was in the welcoming committee at the cathedral, said she asked William, ‘Did you actually give the whistles to the children or did you chicken out?’
He replied: ‘We did give them but they soon found their way into a cupboard because of the noise!’
Mrs Hudson said afterwards: ‘I said to the duchess that she’s “blossoming” because she was just getting over the awful sickness when we last saw her. She’s doing well now and it’s an exciting year to look forward to with the baby and the wedding. What’s not to like?’
The pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, 36, wore a hot pink Mulberry coat for her visit Coventry Cathedral this morning

Kate was presented with teddy bears by wellwishers, wearing Sidney Stringer t-shirts. The Sidney Stringer Trust looks after a number of Academy schools in the Coventry area

Youngsters handed over gifts of teddies to the delighted royal couple as they began their visit to Coventry

Kate’s growing bump was barely visible under the bright pink coat, as she arrived for a day of engagements in Coventry with William



The Duchess first wore her bright pink Mulberry coat when visiting the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York in December 2014 (left). She gave it a second outing on a visit to The Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford on, her last official engagement before giving birth to Princess Charlotte (right)

First stop of the visit was to see the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, which was destroyed by bombs during the Second World War
A group of schoolchildren from the local Sacred Heart School noisily welcomed the couple. Among them, was Darcy Hayes, 9, who gave her some bright orange flowers.
‘She said her son George will love the flowers because he loves orange and police colours. I told them I had an American girl doll for Christmas and William said Charlotte loves dolls. They were nice and cheerful.’
Fellow pupil Mia Ramin, nine, added: ‘They didn’t seem like people who are too busy for other people. She seemed really nice.’
The royal couple started their day by visiting the ruins of Coventry cathedral, destroyed by Second World War bombing, but is now a symbol of hope and peace.

An eager royal fan could not hide her enthusiasm as she greeted the Duchess of Cambridge


The Duchess was all smiles as she chatted to wellwishers before heading into Coventry Cathedral, adjusting her bobbed curls as she chatted

The Duchess of Cambridge meets the public as she arrives to tour the ruins of Coventry cathedral, destroyed by Second World War bombing,


The royals looked thoughtful as they learned more about the history of Coventry Cathedral at the start of a day of official engagements

The Duchess looked delighted to receive a gift of miniature teddy bears from wellwishers


Popular couple! The Duke and Duchess received a warm welcome from wellwishers outside Coventry Cathedral and were presented with gifts of teddy bears

Wellwishers waving Union Jack flags lined up outside the Cathedral to greet the royal couple

Pregnant Kate paused to chat to young people before entering the Cathedral


The Duchess accessorised with Kiki McDonough morganite earrings and highlighted her natural beauty with a coppery nude eyeshadow and a slick of black liner

This is William and Kate’s first official engagement together in 2018, the year in which they will welcome their third child


Father-to-be Prince William looked in great spirits as he greeted wellwishers outside Coventry Cathedral on his first joint engagement of 2018 with Kate

The Duchess’ arrival provoked a flurry of excitement among wellwishers who had queued up to greet the royal visitor

Royal fans made sure to whip out their phones to capture a snap of the visiting royal as he took part in a walkabout


Pregnant Kate was presented with multiple bunches of flowers as she greeted wellwishers who had lined the streets in Coventry to greet the royal visitors

Prince William looked in excellent spirits as he chatted to people in the crowd and accepted flowers

Pregnant Kate looked animated as she paused to chat to a woman who presented her with a bunch of flowers and a handwritten note
Youngsters waving union flags lined the nave of the former place of worship which still has many of its walls intact, although the roof is gone.
In a poignant moment, William and Kate stopped in front of a replica of the Charred Cross – spotted in the aftermath of the bombing on November 14 1940 – which was formed from two timbers that fell from the roof.
They couple then took part in the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation, inspired by the Cathedral and aimed at healing the wounds of history and building a culture of peace.
The Cambridge’s met members of the choir before having a cup of tea with staff and volunteers at the Rising Cafe, a social enterprise aimed at providing work and opportunity for those overcoming drug and alcohol addictions.

The couple received a warm welcome in Coventry after travelling to the city by train

Wellwishers lined the nave of the former place of worship which still has many of its walls intact, although the roof is gone

The Duchess was presented with a rose by an eager royal fan who had even donned an ornamental crown for the occasion


Pregnant Kate is expecting her third child, and is due to give birth in April. The Duchess is well and truly back on top form after battling severe morning sickness in the early stages of her pregnancy

The Duchess looked elegant in a bright pink coat from Mulberry, which she wore twice during her pregnancy with Princess Charlotte

They couple took part in the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation, inspired by the Cathedral and aimed at healing the wounds of history and building a culture of peace


The Duke and Duchess waved to wellwishers as they made their way down the steps of the cathedral. It’s the first time the couple have teamed up for a joint engagement in 2018
Later today, the Cambridges will learn about an innovative training centre for nurses, midwives and paramedics when they open the £59 million facility at Coventry University.
William and Kate will tour the institution’s new science and health building.
At the facility students learn to care for a patient at every stage of their medical journey, from paramedics arriving at their house to their stay in hospital, through to their rehabilitation at home.
William and Kate will meet students before following the journey of a fictional patient through the various areas of speciality taught at the centre, visiting a paramedic ambulance simulator, operating theatre, rehabilitation area and adapted living houses.


The Duchess began the day with a visit to Coventry Cathedral. She will later be taking part in the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation

The Duke, 35, and Duchess, 36, are carrying out their first joint royal engagement of 2018

The royals meet well wishers as they arrive for their visit to Coventry Cathedral during their visit to the city


The Duke and Duchess have a packed schedule of events today as they get to know more about the city of Coventry. And local people certainly seemed pleased to be welcoming the royal visitors

The Duke and Duchess made their first stop of the day at Coventry Cathedral to learn more about its history

Kate accessorised her pink coat with black block heeled shoes from Tods and a small black suede clutch bag
William and Kate will end their day by seeing first-hand the work of the organisation Positive Youth Foundation in the city.
The foundation works with young people who find themselves living in challenging circumstances, from those excluded from school to others at risk from a range of social issues.
At a centre the royal couple will meet staff members, volunteers and young people supported by the service and watch music and boxing workshops.