NOTE: I left three items out of the first version of the poll. There is now a second version (inserted at 5:50 pm Thursday night); if you voted in the early version, it would be terrific if you didn’t mind voting again. I apologize for the hassle factor, arrgghh!
We are back with a few newsbytes and another poll covering Kate’s maternity style.
We begin with an update on Prince Philip, who remains in the hospital while recovering from hip replacement surgery. More from an Evening Standard story:
The Princess Royal has described the Duke of Edinburgh as “on good form” after she paid her father a visit in hospital following his hip operation.
Anne spent 50 minutes at the private King Edward VII hospital in central London with her father, who had the planned surgery last Wednesday to replace his joint with a prosthetic implant.
The story notes that the Queen also had an update on the Prince; it sounds like she has spoken with him by phone. When asked how the Prince was doing while at an engagement in Windsor today, she said that “he said he’s getting on very well.”
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We also have an update on the situation at the Lindo Wing. On Monday parking restrictions went into effect.
From The Telegraph’s story:
It’s official – Royal Baby Watch has begun, with parking restrictions in place outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London in preparation for the Duchess of Cambridge to have her third child.
Crowd barriers are set up on the street outside to accommodate the television crews, journalists and photographers who will be present as she goes into labour.
There is one change from the way things were handled with both Charlotte and George’s births: the media won’t be allowed get into permanent positions until Kate has been admitted to the hospital. They can step into the area for live shots and standups, but they are not allowed to gather and stay until after the Duchess is at the hospital.
The Telegraph story also notes that the medical team includes “Alan Farthing, the Queen’s surgeon-gynaecologist, and Guy Thorpe-Beeston, surgeon-gynaecologist to the royal household. Both of them helped to deliver Prince George and Princess Charlotte.”
Yesterday royal fans started gathering at the hospital. From left to right you see royal watchers John Loughrey, Maria Scott, and Terry Hutt. 
I recognize Mr. Hutt; he has been at other major events like births and christenings. Some of you may better recognize the others in the picture.
For those interested in following things online, there will be a live stream. Here is more from The Express:
This is because TV crews can only turn on their cameras once the Palace officially announces that Kate has gone into labour.
But once the live stream has been turned on, well-wishers from around the world will be able to watch rolling live coverage of this exciting event at home.
I think there will actually be more than one live stream, that was the case when Charlotte was born. And you know we’ll be live blogging here at What Kate Wore once we know she has been admitted to the hospital.
In royal name news, London bookmakers have “…slashed odds on the Royal baby being named Jack after Prince William joked with fans at a football game earlier this week,” according to this Evening Standard article:
Royal commentators are not convinced that the Royal baby will be named after the Aston Villa goalscorer, however.
Phil Dampier told the Standard: “William joked about wanting to name his baby Jack or Jackie after an Aston Villa footballer who scored a goal – but seriously we are talking about the fifth-in-line to the throne and a great grandchild of Her Majesty – so they will want to be respectful.
“I think family names are more likely. Philip would be a lovely tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh and there are lots of possibilities if it’s a girl.”
The name discussions are always fun; I learn a lot just from the backstories for specific names.
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Now for our final poll on Kate’s daytime maternity style, this one covering February, March, and April. A quick note: some things that were worn twice, like the blue lace Séraphine dress, are not included each time they were worn. Also, casual styles and formalwear looks are included in separate polls we’ll do next week.)
Our previous post and poll wrapped up January 31st when Kate and William were in Sweden. February 1st they flew to Norway for the second portion of their tour. Kate was in a blue Catherine Walker for the arrival in Oslo; Kate changed up the look when touring an outdoor sculpture garden; she added boots, gloves and a hat. Beneath the coat, Kate wore Séraphine’s Marlene dress in blue.
The second day of Kate and William’s Norway visit we saw the Duchess in a new coat by Dolce and Gabbana. Back home in England, Kate wore a new coat by Goat Fashion for an Action on Addiction event, the label’s Ellory style. When co-hosting a Buckingham Palace reception with Sophie, Duchess of Wessex, Kate opted for Erdem’s “Suzi Guipure Lace Dress.” For an ‘away day’ with Prince William in northeast England, Kate wore another Dolce and Gabbana coat, similar to the maroon/plum version worn in Norway, but not identical.)
On that same visit to Sunderland Kate also wore a Séraphine dress beneath her Dolce and Gabbana coat, the maternity brand’s Phaedra style. Several days later the Duchess wore a bespoke Jenny Packham coat and dress when at a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists engagement. Kate returned to a designer we’d not seen her wear recently, Orla Kiely, for the floral print ‘Margaret’ dress worn to a National Portrait Gallery reception.
Kate brought back a maternity favorite for a school visit in early March, the Jojo Maman Bébé ‘Princess Line’ coat. When attending the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, the Duchess was in another look many liked when it was first worn, the Chiara coat by Beulah London. At a March 21 education symposium, Kate wore a bespoke Jenny Packham ensemble.
For her final formal engagements, the Duchess put together a number of pieces, mixing old and new styles. We saw Kate one more time when she attended Easter services at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor; she wore a Catherine Walker coat first seen on St. Patrick’s Day 2015.
Next week we’ll have results from the first and second-trimester polls, as well as the casual/sportswear and formalwear polls.
Here is the poll, I’m eager to see how this one goes.
We also have a couple of quick Retail Roundup items to share, beginning with the Links of London Friends and Family Sale. It is now underway, with 25% off sitewide on the US site, no exclusions, and free shipping. Kate’s Bubble Effervescence Earrings are $169, and the Hope Egg Earrings are discounted to $356 from $475. Thank you to Jacqueline on the WKW Facebook page for the tip!
The Shopbop sale is also underway, offering 20% off orders totaling less than $500 and 25% off for those more than $500. This makes Kate’s LK Bennett Florete in the ‘trench’ colorway $260, as opposed to $325.
The Duchess’s Smythe blazer in army green, as well as in navy, drops in price to $521 instead of $695. Thank you, Megan, for the tip on this one! 
We’ll see you early next week, if not sooner!
Emily DeArdo
Monday 23rd of April 2018
I think Philip will be the first name, with Charles in there somewhere....
JR
Monday 23rd of April 2018
I guess the evening gown and casual polls have been abandoned? Bummer, since Kate had some lovely evening gowns this pregnancy! Ah well... ;)
admin
Monday 23rd of April 2018
They haven't been abandoned, we've not had time to do them yet. I think we'll have some quiet time soon when we'll enjoy them. :)
Amelie
Thursday 19th of April 2018
The outfit in the top slot, the Orla Kierly dress with the flowers that look like the foam flowers children use in their arts and craft classes is my least favorite out of all these outfits! Not sure why everyone seems to love it, it is so matronly and drab and does nothing at all for Kate's figure, it just hangs on her. It is by far the worst outfit in this selection. Sometimes I do wonder why people seem to like Kate's more frou frou ensembles.
I voted for the Erdem dress at the event she co-hosted with Sophie. It's a little busy for me but it's fun unlike the awful Orla Kiely dress. I am so perplexed that people love this dress.
Donna
Saturday 14th of April 2018
I voted for the Orla Kiely floral print dress. It is such a pretty dress, perfectly reflecting Kate's style. I usually avoid critique of her choice of footwear because I find it uninspired most of the time. But here, I loved the pairing of the light colored pumps. It was very counterintuitive and I think it added a nice elegant element to the overall look.
My second choice was the blue bespoke Jenny Packham coat/dress ensemble. I liked the construction of the coat and it was another time I felt the Duchess remained true to her basic style while branching out a bit.
I think that as long as the Duchess continues to wear buttoned up coats as a dress or suit for her appearances, then it makes sense (at least to me) to include them together with dresses and other daywear outfits in polls like this. Although, I grant you, her increase in official outings makes for a difficult selection process for her fans!
admin
Saturday 14th of April 2018
That’s a good point, Donna, I’m glad you brought it up. Thank you! :)
Bonnie
Friday 13th of April 2018
Usually I write from Canada, where I live, but I am currently in Britain. I just want to share an observation with those who read and comment from North America. So often we lament that Kate wears skinny jeans or pants and that we wish she would wear dress pants with a wider leg. Well our idea of dress pants is not popular in Britain. I've seen many smartly dressed women, of all ages, in skinny pants/trousers. Often they are worn with very high heels. So we need to realize that Kate wears the fashion trends of the country where she lives and those of us in Canada or the USA should accept that.
SSM
Tuesday 17th of April 2018
I'm from the US but have spent quite a bit of time in London in the past few years for work. In my opinion, an American wearing what we consider to be 'casual' wear sticks out like a sore thumb! I could literally see them walking toward me on the street and pick them out for their hoodies, baseball caps, or ugg boots (and sports-team branded gear). No one in London seems to step out of the house without a tailored wool coat, nice boots, and lots of accessories. My most dressed up business attire is required to even fit in at all in London. No such thing as throwing on your Lululemons and heading to the store! Call me lazy but I prefer the American way of dressing: easy, casual, occasionally bordering on sloppy, but hey! We're comfy and we can step it up when needed.
I loved Meghan's version of slacks for a night out. They were tailored and smart but not uber tight. I don't mind Kate's skinny jeans but the 'skinny' printed trousers are one of my least favorite looks on her. They feel both outdated (by about 5 years) and bordering on 'oooooh I would feel uncomfortable in that.'
Mary
Sunday 15th of April 2018
I feel the issue that many royal followers lament is that Kate rarely wears pants/trousers, and when she does, they're often a bit too tight and made of denim, typically in a dark blue or black color; very rarely does she wear a dress pant. [FWIW, my definition of dress pants are pants or slacks that are *not* jeans and typically made of a higher quality textile--the kind of pant you would wear to work in a business casual or more formal work environment, though they need not be as formal as suit pants. The cut can be wide or fitted, but it's more that the fabric looks polished regardless of the fit]. I think there's a feeling that we'd like to see her wear tailored pants for a more formal outing, versus always wearing a dress, and she could have a little more diversity in the style of the pant from time to time. I think part of that feeling (at least, for me) comes from an understanding that working women aren't required to wear dresses anymore and can still look professional and be fashionable without the need for a skirt and nylons.
Writing as an American under the age of 30, I really prefer wearing tailored pants because I'm on the shorter side and they make me look slimmer. For that reason, I'm really happy to see that the skinny "trend" has continued, at least as far as Kate and the West Coast goes! :-) I think when it comes to jeans, a more relaxed, "boyfriend/girlfriend" cut jean is becoming more popular and bootcut is coming back somewhat, but the skinny leg is still a wardrobe staple. In my office, women wear a mix of pants, skirts, and dresses, but if wearing pants, they're usually more fitted. (Jeans are only permitted on Fridays, sadly.) My office does skew on the female and younger side.
Generally, US dressing styles can be viewed as more casual than that of European countries, but like anywhere, clothing is often reflective of socioeconomic status, age, and regional culture, and we need to recognize our own bias as we generalize the dress of others. I for one admire Kate for her thoughtful clothing selections given her important role, and that's why I follow this blog.
Jessica
Sunday 15th of April 2018
Dress pants aren't necessarily that popular everywhere in the US, either. I feel like in the northeast it's either skinnies or very wide-leg, statement trousers; not the kind of dress pants we were all wearing in the 90s (my mom used to call them "slacks"). I mean, you do see people in those, but they're the ones who dress very conservatively and have probably had the same basic work uniform for decades.
LauraT
Sunday 15th of April 2018
Is it the N. Americans who have issue with skinny jeans? I am surprised by that statement. I'm on the east coast and most folks wear skinnies, leggings or jeggings. Don't see too many slacks or wide leg pants. I thought those that took issue were those subjects who have notions about what's appropriate for a future Queen.
Kimberly
Saturday 14th of April 2018
Differences in fashion preferences certainly exist depending on where you live. My issues in the past with Kate's skinny pants aren't that they are, in fact, skinny pants. I think this style can be well-executed and look quite stylish, even for a dressy event (Meghan's suit comes to mind. Oh how I loved that look!). My issue with Kate's skinny pants are that they seem to be too tight, or at least they photograph that way. They look so much better when they don't cling to sensitive areas.
She clearly favors dresses, and I think she looks better in them anyway. I, too, have a long torso and short legs. Dresses are far more flattering!
Funny story - I live in the US and was recently chatting with a British visitor. It has been cold here, and she was wearing shorts, so I asked if she had pants with her. She looked horrified and then suddenly understood what I was meaning. I was unaware that pants=underwear in the UK. Silly me!