Kate Middleton will reportedly be taking an extended maternity leave with her third child, as it's rumoured that she felt she returned to official royal duties too quickly after the births of both Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her and Prince William's third child, Prince Louis, on Monday 23 April.
Kate's last official duty was back in March where she attended a Commonwealth event for the SportAid charity at the CopperBox arena in the Olympic Park, London. Accompanied by Prince William, fans were thrilled to see the glowing mum one last time before her maternity leave began.
According to the Independent, now that her third baby has arrived and she's a mum-of-three, Kate will be extending her maternity leave by 'an additional few months' so that she can focus on her family as they all adapt to becoming a unit of five.
The Independent report that Kate felt as though she returned to work too soon after the births of her older children. Kate opened the Ring of Fire marathon at Breakwater country park in Wales just six weeks after the birth of Prince George and was back attending official events on behalf of the royal family just over two months after the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015.
Although Kate's extended maternity leave won't see her returning to her official royal duties until the late autumn, royal fans will still get to see the Duchess of Cambridge along with her three children on at least three occasions over the summer.
Despite taking a step back from the spotlight to focus on her family, Kate will still be in attendance at major royal family events.
The Cambridge family will attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding on the 19 May, where Prince George and Princess Charlotte are set to have adorable roles in the royal wedding, although it has not yet been confirmed if their little brother Prince Louis will join the celebrations at St.George's Chapel in Windsor.
The following month the royal family will also celebrate the Trooping Of Colour which takes place at Buckingham Palace.
Kate Middleton will almost definitely attend this very public celebration and step out on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with all three of her children and her husband as she has in previous years.
Then, in September, another royal wedding in Windsor - this time for Princess Eugenie and her fiancé Jack Brooksbank - will see Kate join the rest of the royals again for another family celebration.
With so many big events coming up in the royal calendar, it's no wonder the Duchess is seeking some extra time with her little ones - and hopefully some time to rest up too!
