Is Kate Middleton carrying a baby girl?

Yes, says a wellwisher who met the Duchess of Cambridge yesterday, claiming the expectant royal stopped just short of revealing the news unthinkingly.

‘The lady next to me gave her a teddy bear and I distinctly heard her say “Thank you, I will take that for my d....’ resident Sandra Cook told the Daily Mail. ‘Then she stopped herself. I leant over and said to her: “You were going to say daughter, weren’t you?” She said: “No, we don’t know!” I said: “Oh, I think you do,” to which she replied: “We’re not telling!”’

‘I only hope that she doesn’t now give birth to a boy or I’m going to look pretty stupid. But she definitely said “d....”.’

St James' Palace has made few confirmations on the details of the royal pregnancy. It was announced early, in December, and Kate’s due date – or rather, due month – was announced to be July in mid-January.

Kate also revealed during her visit to hospice patients in the Humberside town yesterday that she felt the baby kicking ‘a lot.’

She thrilled her style fans by turning out in Hobbs coat that she’s had for a number of years, her bump clearly visible.

Her maternity wardrobe has included a lot of MaxMara, and word has it that she also browsed the rails of Topshop’s Oxford Circus store last week, picking up a £37 floral cotton day dress at concession Lovestruck.