No royal tours abroad have been planned for the Duchess of Cambridge until 2014, a palace source has revealed.
The former Kate Middleton, who is currently pregnant with her first child, is expected to take a period of maternity leave after the birth.
Although Prince William could undertake trips without her, a solo tour is unlikely, as Kate's husband will want to stay with his first born, and host countries will want to welcome the happy pair together.
Kate and Wills returning from their tour of South East Asia
Another possibility is for William and Kate to take their baby with them, as Charles and Diana did during a six-week tour of Australia and New Zealand in March 1983.
A royal source told the Daily Telegraph: “The Duchess will give birth at some point in 2013 and it would be unusual for her to travel in the couple of months after that.
“No overseas tour has yet been planned for next year, and obviously the arrival of the baby will have an effect on the Duchess’s diary.
“If you take Princess Diana as an example, she took Prince William with her when she and the Prince of Wales went abroad a few months afterwards, so that would be one possibility.”
The late Princess Diana set a royal precedent when she took 10-month-old Prince William down under. Her former butler Paul Burrell claims that Kate is likely to ape Diana's unconventional style of raising royal children.
Speaking to Life & Style magazine, the former Royal staff member said it was likely Kate would take a more "modern approach" to child-rearing.
“Don’t expect this couple to follow every aspect of royal tradition," he told the women’s magazine.
"[Diana] did everything possible to give them a normal, down-to-earth childhood - but had to fight their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, every step of the way," Paul added.
The couple have already broken with tradition by choosing to spend Christmas with Kate's family, rather than take part in the traditional festive celebrations at Sandringham.
Kate at the Sports Personality Of The Year Awards
Pippa revealed the Middleton family Christmas was 'blissfully calm', in a guest column for the Spectactor. However she gave some insight into some of the family's more eccentric party pieces, explaining how her father once 'appeared in an inflatable sumo outfit.’
Kate has been suffering from severe morning sickness but managed to make it to a family Eucharist and Christmas carols at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, close to her parents' house on the 25 December. She also appeared in public earlier this month to present the Sports Personality Of The Year Awards.
