"Kate Middleton & Prince William's Baby Plans – Kate's Ready To Be A Mom!"
"Broody Kate Middleton Reveals Baby Hopes."
"Kate Middleton Reveals Wish for Royal Baby."
"Kate Middleton FINALLY Talks About Having a Baby! What Did She Say?"
The above are just a few of the many, many headlines launched in response to what seems like a fairly generic, completely innocuous statement made by Kate Middleton over the weekend. No one must feel baby pressure like this woman does.
While William and Kate were meeting crowds in Quebec City on Sunday, the Duchess of Cambridge was handed a bouquet by the two-year-old daughter of a British expat named David Cheater. Then, Mr. Cheater wished Kate well in her efforts to start a family. Kate thanked him and reportedly said, "Yes, I hope to."
It goes without saying that people have been going nuts over her words, what with the whole world apparently waiting with bated breath for Kate to have a baby.
"It is the first time the Duchess has spoken publicly about having children, although Prince William stated when the couple got engaged that a family was something they both wanted," noted The Telegraph.
It and many other newspapers and websites have pointed out that royal protocol more or less dictates that Kate have a baby within a year of getting married (Prince William was born 11 months after Princess Diana and Prince Charles wed, and Prince Charles entered the world a year after the Queen married Prince Phillip).
So, you know, just a hint of pressure there.
Of course, Kate's been dealing with this for quite a while now, from people reading in to her food choices to speculating about her fertility.
And while her claim that she hopes to one day start a family doesn't really offer much in the way of specifics, that hasn't stopped some from wondering if there might be a special Canuck connection to a future royal child.
"Reports have been quite cheeky," CBS News royal contributor Victoria Arbiter told the Early Show on Monday. "[The reports] said, if there's a baby nine months from now, the headlines are going to read 'Made in Canada.' "
How much baby pressure is too much baby pressure, even for the world's current most popular couple?
Dave McGinn