O! O! Fourth one in line is a-comin'!

we're gonna need a bigger guillotine...

I would not publicly announce a pregnancy before 12 weeks, myself.

I'm happy for them. I hope Katherine gets excellent health care - her condition is no laughing matter. I had a friend who suffered the same issues and she ended up losing the baby.



Best of luck to the happy couple! Another royal baby!!!

Can't wait to see the media rush in London in April...

Devil Ledbetter said:

I would not publicly announce a pregnancy before 12 weeks, myself.

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Why on earth shouldn't she tell the truth? She's supposed to be at various events representing the Queen. She can't go because she's sick in bed pregnant. People will be asking why she's not there, and everyone is going to find out in a few weeks anyway. Why lie?

Parametric said:

Why on earth shouldn't she tell the truth? She's supposed to be at various events representing the Queen. She can't go because she's sick in bed pregnant. People will be asking why she's not there, and everyone is going to find out in a few weeks anyway. Why lie?

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It's also a way to kill off the rumors before they start. I can imagine the theories ranging from another pregnancy through to divorce, angry fights... you know how the media can get when sniffing around a story.

This way it's out in the open and people can care. Or not.

Devil Ledbetter said:

I would not publicly announce a pregnancy before 12 weeks, myself.

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You would if you were laying about your palace barfing yourself miserable, and thus weren't able to go out, sparking international discussion.

There were already rumours, but they announced super early last time too, just because what else do they do when she's not where she's meant to be, or is in hospital? They can't hide it, there's not really any plausible lie and they kind of shouldn't outright lie anyway, imo.

It's a well known custom to not announce your pregnancy before the first trimester ends. The reason is because there's a high percentage of miscarriages that early on, and then you're left answering questions about that, which can be quite awkward and upsetting. When to announce a pregnancy is the couple's personal decision and choice, not "lying." If anyone asks why she's not at a function, "she's not feeling well" is certainly enough information if that was all they wanted to say at that point. Having not known this custom and learned it the hard way, I wouldn't announce a pregnancy before the third trimester either (you wouldn't believe some of the things people say).

Fruitbat said:

It's a well known custom to not announce your pregnancy before the first trimester. The reason is because there's a high percentage of miscarriages early on, and then you're left answering questions about that, which can be quite awkward and upsetting. When to announce a pregnancy is the couple's choice, not "lying." Having not known this custom and learned it the hard way, I wouldn't announce a pregnancy before the third trimester either.

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Of course it is - I didn't mean not telling is lying.

I mean if a public figure with a public schedule, btw paid by the state, suddenly doesn't show up at a bunch of events, and people ask why/where is she, and they didn't want to say she was barfing up the palace, they'd kind of have to lie. "No comment,' doesn't work well in that situation.

If it's a regular person who happens to not feel up to a party, there are a dozen plausible excuses. Not keeping your booked-months-in-advance, drawing-huge-crowds, paid-by-the-state royal schedule because 'just felt like staying in,' or 'under the weather,' would result in an unending media encampment until there were answers that made sense or the illness was clarified. They'd have to fess up or lie.

I said I wouldn't announce a pregnancy that early. I did not say they shouldn't have, nor did I say anything like "she should have lied."

As someone who for years has volunteered in a pregnancy loss grief support community, I know that those who announce very early can face extra heartbreak if things don't go as expected.

Further, I don't agree that announcing early or lying were the only two options available.

cornflake said:

Of course it is - I didn't mean not telling is lying.

I mean if a public figure with a public schedule, btw paid by the state, suddenly doesn't show up at a bunch of events, and people ask why/where is she, and they didn't want to say she was barfing up the palace, they'd kind of have to lie. "No comment,' doesn't work well in that situation.

If it's a regular person who happens to not feel up to a party, there are a dozen plausible excuses. Not keeping your booked-months-in-advance, drawing-huge-crowds, paid-by-the-state royal schedule because 'just felt like staying in,' or 'under the weather,' would result in an unending media encampment until there were answers that made sense or the illness was clarified. They'd have to fess up or lie.

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I think there were a few posts that used the word "lying." But that's true, I'm sure she would have complications with it that the rest of us wouldn't.

Well, Xelebes, it would still be up to them, not owed to anyone to announce it the minute he hops off, haha.

Somehow I get the feeling you don't have any kids...

P.S. You just go on and tell them that then. Come back and report the results!

Xelebes said:

It is also customary to state the reason why you aren't holding up the responsibilities of the Duchess of Cambridge. It is perfectly fine to say that the fourth-in-line is coming along and if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. Better that than having the organisers of various functions scratching their head over cancellations, perhaps only equipped with "white lies" as to why the duchess couldn't come, causing the a-chatterin to gossip in confusion and needling unnecessarily.

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It's a fair point that she's under different pressures than the rest of us.

But as far as having to submit full disclosure around every tidbit of gossip that gets bandied about, just, no. Royalty has never had to do that. Certainly they lied their asses off about Camilla for decades (again, not that I ever said or suggested lying was the solution). There is a certain amount of privilege that goes hand in hand with, well, privilege.

Xelebes said:

If there is a potential fourth-in line, the future Duke of York,

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Ahem. Or Duchess.

Xelebes said:

Up to them? Says who? They're the government.

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To which "they" are does this refer, please?

Xelebes said:

The Duke and Duchess, or more specifically the Royal Family.

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Last I knew England had a prime minister and a cabinet doing the governing. The monarchy is sorta vestigial methinks.

A friend of mine who had two heartbreaking miscarriages just before the three-month mark decided to tell her family and closest friends right away when she got pregnant the third time. She'd really needed emotional support the first two times, so she hadn't kept the miscarriages a secret. She decided she'd rather people knew all along so they'd be with her through whatever joy or sadness was ahead. (Happily, the third pregnancy came to term.)

If I were the Duchess, I'd go ahead and tell. The media is going to make the speculation anyway -- or invent something ugly. And if she does have a miscarriage, the headlines are likely to be a lot kinder to her if the whole world knows she really was pregnant. It's not like she stands a chance in hell of privacy.

"I can't wait to see my brother suffer more, and with any luck, if it's a girl, he'll suffer even greater," joked William's younger brother, who turns 30 on Sept. 15.

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What a charming, enlightened, and articulate man. Glad he's being bumped to fifth.

Also, Miss Manners says public pregnancy announcements too close to the event that caused them are unseemly. She said, "A lady brushes her hair first." And Miss Manners knows everything. So there. *nods*