Kate Middleton pregnant: how the baby was planned

Prince William in a pink shirt. His earnings are unlikely to be affected... (GETTY IMAGES)

Royal babies don't just happen, you know. It requires months if not years of meticulous planning and preparation. Everything has to be just right to ensure that the issue of a royal romance turns into a healthy and happy baby. Talking of which, there's some terrific detail in the Mirror about the planning. Apparently even the Brussels sprouts shipped to their honeymoon were especially chosen to, ahem, facilitate succession in the House of Windsor.

Here's a flavour: "There was speculation that the Duchess, who showed herself to be at ease with youngsters on official engagements, was broody. Even the food they had shipped to their honeymoon island in the Seychelles - apparently Brussels sprouts - led to suggestions Kate was on a fertility diet aimed at boosting her intake of folic acid. There will be much excitement among the couple's families. The baby will be Carole and Michael Middleton's first grandchild and the first for the Prince of Wales - although he is already a doting grandpa to the Duchess of Cornwall's grandchildren. Yet as well as the personal joy it will bring, William and Kate's child will have a wider historical and constitutional impact: the new baby symbolises the continuation of the monarchy."