We’ve been hearing rumors for months that Kate Middleton is pregnant with what would be her third royal baby in five years’ time.
We’ve also been hearing whispers that she may soon be queen, with Elizabeth II set to promote Kate and Prince William ahead of Charles.
Now we’re hearing both reports … at the same time!
According to celebrity news magazine Life & Style:
“As public backlash grows against Charles and Camilla, the queen decides that only William and Kate can save the monarchy.”
Yes. Prince Charles waits his whole life to assume the throne, only to learn that William and Kate will be king and queen next.
The article claims that Queen Elizabeth has arrived at the “shocking decision” that “after her death, she wants her eldest son to abdicate.”
Middleton is apprehensive about this, given her penchant for privacy and the fact that she has two little kids, but hey, duty calls.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, which “reopened old wounds,” we’re told.
Prince Charles’ reputation never fully recovered after his divorce, despite time healing all wounds, and now, abdication just feels necessary.
“Initially, Charles was opposed to the idea of abdicating, saying he had waited his whole life to become king,” alleges a palace insider.
“But he is coming around to the idea.”
While careful to note that “nothing is official yet,” Life & Style claims that the plan is in the works and that all parties are (slowly) on board.
And there’s more: “Kate isn’t just poised to become the next queen of England. Palace insiders also say she’s pregnant with baby No. 3!”
“Those close to Kate say she’s in the early stages of pregnancy… [She’s] showing all the tell-tale signs that she’s expecting.”
As we discussed last week, Middleton was recently hospitalized, and has even mentioned the idea of getting pregnant again recently.
Granted, that doesn’t prove a whole lot.
As Gossip Cop, the Internet’s preeminent law enforcement community, points out, this same magazine has made similar claims before.
Many times before, in fact.
We can’t speak for right now, but in 2016, they said she was expecting on at least five separate occasions, when clearly it wasn’t the case.
There’s only so many times you can say that and have much credibility left. With something like a pregnancy, you can be proven wrong.
As far as Charles’ abdication, that’s slightly more difficult to confirm or discredit, as it could (conceivably) take years to play out officially.
To be fair, it’s not a ridiculous idea, in theory.
While there’s no hard evidence that Charles would give up his spot as heir to the throne, it’s hard to see William not being more popular.
For the monarchy to remain relevant for centuries more, a fresher face would no doubt help – and he and Catherine certainly are that.
At least in concept, handing the reins to the younger generation could be a terrific move in terms of shepherding the royals into the future.
Bottom line: Don’t count any chickens before they’ve hatched, and don’t expect any change anytime soon … because Elizabeth is immortal.
Seriously, she could live to be like 110.
Take a look at the gallery above for previous examples of the celebrity gossip media jumping the gun hardcore, then tell us in the comments:
Do you think she’s actually pregnant?!