Kate Middleton chooses baby names as due date nears

As the world waits with baited breath for the birth of the second royal baby, it has been reported that the Duchess of Cambridge is expected to go into labour on 25 April.

According to the Daily Mail, 20-month-old Prince George will have a baby brother or sister by the end of the month, when Kate Middleton delivers at the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington again.

In March, Middleton told a volunteer at a south London charity that the baby was due "mid-April, to the end of April".

While the proud parents are yet to officially announce the exact due date, it is claimed they have already chosen a name for their new addition.

While Charlotte is the bookies' favourite, Diana (after Prince William's late mother) and Elizabeth (after the Queen) are major contenders.

Although the duke and duchess have said they are unaware of the child's gender, speculation is rife that they are expecting a baby girl after Middleton reportedly bought pink paint.

According to the Mail Online, Oxford interior design company Annie Sloan delivered three "feminine" paint samples to Anmer Hall where Middleton resides her with husband and their one-year-old son.

It was previously reported that Middleton, who began her maternity leave on 28 March, is expected to take an extended leave of absence to "fully enjoy the bonding experience" with her two children.

"They are happy with the arrangement. If anything changes it wouldn't be for a while," a royal insider told People magazine. "She felt she came back too soon last time. She wants to have that [family time] and enjoy it with George and the new baby."

And it looks like Prince William, who will reportedly take a two-week paternity leave from his new job as a pilot at East Anglia Air Ambulance, fully supports his wife's decision to take some time away from the spotlight.

"The couple are concentrating on family with the full blessing — indeed, encouragement — of dad, Prince Charles," reads the report. "[He] wants them to have as much as a normal life as possible."