Royal Bump watch – GenderGate

It’s been a busy month for my favourite Royal, the Duchess of Cambridge as headlines were made the world over after her visit to Grimsby on the 5th of March. Accepting a soft toy from  Diane Burton, a bystander outside the National Fishing Heritage Centre, Kate was alleged to have said: “Thank you, I will take that for my d…” before promptly stopping herself mid sentence. The media speculated without any real evidence, just hearsay that a daughter was on the way for the Royal couple, then merely days later, mobile phone footage captured by Lisa Hewson, who was also standing next to Diana,  proved that was not the case after all.

In the clip, posted on YouTube, Diana hands over a teddy bear and says: “Here you go, Kate, for the baby.”

The Duchess accepts and appears to say: “Oh is this for us? Thank you so much, that’s very sweet of you.”

So there was in fact no mention of a daughter and what’s more does it really matter? Now that the government will soon be introducing the Succession to the Crown Bill ending gender discrimination, the sex of their baby is irrelevant to the future successor of the monarchy.  Traditionally the Royals choose not to discover gender or at the very least, they don’t reveal it until after the birth. If Kate and William know but wish not to tell, that’s their prerogative, is it not? As the public we should respect their privacy and understand that they no doubt wish to keep elements of this special time between themselves.  It must be a delicate balancing act, revealing just enough to satisfy the world’s curiosity yet reserving intimate details for one another.

In last week’s Hello Magazine, Kate is pictured visiting the 1st Battalion Irish Guards at Mons Barracks in Aldershot on St Patrick’s Day where she met Guardsman Lee Wheeler. There, she is quoted as telling him,  “I’d like to have a boy and William would like a girl”.

I was keen for a boy myself when pregnant with my first child as I fell in love with a baby picture of my husband who was a real Brad Pitt of a boy. With my second, after a traumatic birth first time round, I wanted a second chance at my birth (as ludicrous as that sounds) so also hoped for a boy, but let me make it clear I would have equally and totally loved a girl. Both times I would have been ecstatic whatever the gender.

Admittedly, a lot of the public is interested in finding out as much information as possible, including speculating on the baby’s gender. Let’s not forget, the Royal family want us to care about them within reason. According to the 700 year old Chinese gender predictor test (yes, I’ve that much time on my hands), they are having a boy but I’m not sure how accurate it is and I did guess the month of conception based on when she revealed her pregnancy, although I did enter her correct age at the time. The test worked for me both times but it’s no doubt a 50/50 chance either way!

Overall, I think personally what I love more than anything about the Royal pregnancy is seeing happy, positive news stories (inaccurate, which there are many, excluding) when there is so much tragedy in the world. Kate looks happy and confident pregnant and it’s a joy to see. In keeping with an old Royal tradition, the world learned of William’s arrival with a note on the gates of  Buckingham Palace and perhaps this will be the way with Kate and William; so Chinese predictor aside, like the rest of the world, we will just have to wait and see.

So do you care about the gender of Kate & Will’s unborn child and how much do we have a right to know?

About Vicki Psarias

Vicki Psarias Vicki Psarias is founder and author of one of the most popular parenting blogs in the UK, Honest Mum and sister style blog Mummy's Got Style Vicki is also a multi-award winning TV Director and Filmmaker. Her website is www.vpsarias.co.uk. Twitter: @HonestMummy.

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