As Kate Middleton and Prince William anxiously await the birth of their first child, the Duchess' family is already in a celebratory state of mind. On Thursday, July 11, Michael, Carole, Pippa, and James Middleton joined members of the royal family in the royal box at the Coronation Festival Concert at Buckingham Palace.
Aunt-to-be Pippa, 29, looked radiant in a demure Prabal Gurung skirt with a white lace top, which she paired with a white Lamb 1887 clutch. Her brunette hair fell around her shoulders in loose waves, and she kept her makeup fresh and natural.
James, meanwhile — at 26, the youngest of the brood — was dapper in a dark blue suit, crisp white shirt, and red tie. He stuck close to his sister as they milled about the box, along with their parents, Michael and Carole.
The Household Division's Fanfare Trumpeters opened the gala event with a musical blast, followed by performances by pop act The Feeling and welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins. During a break from the action, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, retired for the evening; the Middleton family stayed for the entire duration of the concert.
Earlier in the day, the Duchess of Cornwall happily spoke with reporters about the impending birth of her stepson's baby. "We are very excited, immensely looking forward to it, and waiting for the phone call," she shared.
Indeed, many people have been swept up in royal baby mania in recent weeks. Photographers and other members of the media started setting up camp outside St. Mary's Hospital a full 11 days before the Duchess' anticipated due date, and plans to commemorate the future heir's arrival have been announced by companies and countries all over the world.
The Royal Mint, for example, said last week that babies born in the U.K. on the same day as Middleton's bundle of joy would be eligible to receive one of 2,013 free lucky silver pennies. And a supermarket near the royal couple's home in Anglesey, Wales, has reserved a parking space especially for them.
Of course, no one is more eager to meet the little boy or girl than the Duke and Duchess themselves. "Catherine and William are very much looking forward to the arrival of their son or daughter," a palace aide told Us."It's a very exciting time for the couple and their families."
