kate middletonIt was bound to happen. Kate Middleton has been watched like a hawk since it was announced that she and Prince William are expecting. Right now, it's being widely speculated that, come July, the royal couple will give birth to a baby girl. And despite my skepticism for celebrity pregnancy rumors, I must admit -- this speculation is with good reason. At a public appearance on Tuesday, after a well-wisher handed the Duchess of Cambridge a white teddy bear, she said: "Thank you. I will take this for my d--." Kate then stopped herself from finishing the sentence. Sandra Cook, a woman who was standing nearby, said to Kate: "You were going to say daughter, weren't you?!" To which she replied: "No, we don't know." Cook, 67, then said: "Oh, I think you do." (The balls!) And the Duchess replied: "We're not telling."

So, yeah. If I were a betting woman, I'd say William and Kate found out the gender of their baby, and it is in fact a girl. Kate certainly doesn't seem like the kind of celebrity to intentionally tease something for press -- royals hate press. This sounds like a genuine mistake, and hot dog, am I excited! Kate's having a little future queen! (And, yes, future queen she will be. Queen Elizabeth made it clear that if the couple is to have a girl, she not only will be referred to as "princess", but she will be the heir to the throne -- a ruling that bucks centuries of gender discrimination that only allowed males to become heirs.)

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But back to Kate's slip. I'm sure right now the poor girl's feeling anxious for maybe/possibly/obviously almost saying "daughter", and letting the world in on something she and her husband were trying to keep secret. And Christ, could you imagine that kind of pressure? If and when one does find out the gender of their baby, they immediately want to shout it from the rooftops. And one of the perks is no longer having to refer to the little bean as "it". It's all "son/daughter/him/her" from there on out. Keeping it a secret would be nearly impossible.

Kate certainly has it easier than the rest of us in many aspects in life, but there's no arguing that she has a layer of pressure during pregnancy most never have to deal with. I feel bad that she accidentally let the gender slip. But also, I'm super excited. Congrats!

Did you tell people the gender of your baby? Do you think Kate's having a girl?


Image via Chris Jackson/Getty