Speculation Kate Middleton is pregnant again after cancelling appearance at the last minute

Publish Date: Monday, 25 November 2019, 9:53AM

After months of pregnancy rumours surrounding Kate Middleton, royal fans have been sent into absolute meltdown over the chance the mother-of-three will announce she is expecting her fourth child after she pulled out of the Tusk Conservation Awards she was due to attend on Friday.

The Duchess of Cambridge - who is already mum to Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one - was set to attend the awards ceremony at the Empire Cinema in London with her husband, Prince William, before heading to a reception at the National Portrait Gallery.

However, the royal mum-of-three cancelled her appearance just a few hours ahead of its start.

A Kensington Palace spokeswoman said: "The duchess is no longer able to attend the Tusk awards due to the children.

"She will still, however, meet finalists at a tea at Kensington Palace this afternoon. The Duke as Patron will attend both."

As the 37-year-old mum previously suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum - which causes extreme morning sickness - during her pregnancies, the Duchess' sudden cancellation has caused royal watchers to speculate that she's experiencing the illness again.

Just last month bookies slashed all odds than an announcement was imminent.

According to British-based betting company Coral, it's looking increasingly likely Wills and Kate "will welcome another family member," with the odds being slashed to 1/2 the 37-year-old will announce another royal baby is set to join the brood in 2019.

The speculation comes after it was reported the Duchess is said to be "broodier than ever" following the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first child, Archie.

Many royal watchers believe four kids is certainly a possibility for the Duke and Duchess since it's the same number of children his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, had.

"Prince William reportedly wants to follow Queen Elizabeth II’s footsteps by having four children," one of William’s friends revealed.

While a friend of Kate's agreed, telling the Daily Mail: "Catherine would like another baby. She loves children and is prepared to put herself through another pregnancy even though they have been complicated in the past."

Kate's late official engagement was the Royal Variety Performance earlier this week.

She currently has no further public engagements scheduled in her diary.

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