The Duchess of Cambridge was glowing and her slender frame hinted at the first signs of a baby bump as she attended the unveiling of her portrait at the National Portrait Gallery.

The mother-to-be had a bright complexion with flush cheeks as she was photographed chatting outside the gallery yesterday. Despite looking her usual slim self, Kate did appear fuller in the face, and back on form following her brief hospitalisation with severe morning sickness last month. And though it appeared tiny, there were definite signs of her showing a healthy looking bump.

kate Middleton, 31, showed off her impeccable sense of style, wearing an elegant burgundy chiffon dress and her trusty black court shoes. The Duchess appeared to be more self-conscious inside the gallery and was seen holding her hands in front of her apparently trying to conceal her midriff while talking to artist Paul Emsley. Kate who was accompanied at the viewing with Prince William is believed to be 12 weeks pregnant. At this stage the foetus is fully formed and all its organs, muscles, limbs and bones are in place.

The baby is likely to be making movements but they will be too small for Kate to feel them just yet. However since the baby is fully developed, it would be possible for the couple to find out their child’s gender if they wished. Critics slammed the painting after it was unveiled saying it makes the Duchess look older than her 31 years, but Kate is said to be ‘thrilled’ with the results. Emsley who is famous for dividing opinion with his extraordinarily realistic, almost ‘photographic’ style – was commissioned by the gallery after Kate chose him from a shortlist.

The Queen confirmed yesterday that Royal baby will be given the title of Prince or Princess, depending on its gender, and will be next in line for the throne. Huge country house, Anmer Hall in Norfolk has also been earmarked for the couple as the Queen  plans to gift it to them as they prepare for their first child. The late-Georgian country house is just two miles east of the Queen’s Sandringham House, where the Royals celebrate Christmas. It is also known as one of the country houses where Prince Charles conducted his illicit affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, when the Prince’s friend Hugh van Cutsem rented  the property.

However, it is unlikely the couple would be able to enjoy it for another four years, when their son or daughter would be three years old. Anmer Hall, which was lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Kent between 1972 and 1990, is leased until March 2017 to James Everett, who owns a kitchen and timber company. He moved into the property in 2000, but would not comment on whether he planned to stay. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, currently living in a rented farmhouse on Anglesey, are also waiting for renovation work on their London home in Kensington Palace to be completed.

When they are not on Anglesey, they live at Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace in West London, which has just one bedroom and has been described as ‘cosy’. However, later this year they will move into the newly  renovated Apartment 1A inside the palace itself, which was Princess Margaret’s home, while Prince Harry will have the cottage. The new apartment will suit the couple’s growing family, as it boasts five bedrooms and three reception rooms. Renovation work is being paid for out of the public purse, although the Royals are covering the cost of the interior design. – Dailymail