Pregnant Kate Middleton has been spotted buying a rug in London's ritzy Chelsea area. The mum-to-be, whose baby with Prince William is due in mid-July, was seen purchasing the item on Lots Road.Onlookers took to Twitter to express their delight at seeing the Duchess of Cambridge shopping in their neighbourhood, an area which is famed for its antique and contemporary furniture and homeware. The mum-to-be probably made the purchase with her and William's new London home in mind. The royal couple are due to move into Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace later this year.
The antiques shops which line Lots Road will have been of great interest to the expectant royal who has a degree in the History of Art from the University of St Andrews, where she and William met. It isn't the first spot of interiors shopping that the 31-year-old has been seen enjoying. In April, she visited an antiques shop in the market town of Holt, Norfolk with a small group of friends. "She comes here quite a bit," revealed Clare Kowalyk, who works at Lanes Jewellery in the pretty Georgian town's marketplace. However, this shopping trip was thought to have been with a view to decorating their new country residence, nearby Amner Hall on the Queen's Sandringham Estate.
Unlike her trip to Lots Road, Kate left empty-handed despite spending half an hour in the shop.
It was reported in March that Duchess Kate had been sorting out decorating supplies for their future 21-room south west London abode. The prospective family home is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment, estimated to be costing £1m. The four-storey home includes a nursery, staff quarters and a private walled garden. It was once the home of the Queen's sister Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. A renovation team are tasked with redecorating the outdated brightly-coloured pink and turquoise rooms, which were the late princess's favourite colours . William and Kate are temporarily residing in Nottingham Cottage, a modest two bedroom abode, until the building works at Apartment 1A are complete. Kensington is one of the Middleton family's preferred locations for retail therapy and it is just a stone's throw from Kensington Palace. The duchess's visit to Lot's Road was not the first time that the fashionista has been seen shopping in the area during her pregnancy.
As well as revamping the two royal residences, the couple have also got a nursery to think about. At the beginning of April, Kate, 31, revealed that she and William still have "a lot to do" with regard to their nursery. But by the end of the month, progress had been made and the Kate effect was once again reignited as she was spotted buying a Moses basket with her mother Carole Middleton in an exclusive London baby boutique. After Kate was seen buying a basket with her mum, supermarket Asda reported a 57 per cent increase in online sales of the item. At the beginning of March, Kate was seen browsing the Seraphine maternity concession in Peter Jones on Sloane Square. Excited Twitter users said that the expectant duchess was also seen shopping for a buggy on the same day. In early February, she was spotted shopping for one of her style staples, coloured jeans in a Gap store in the area.