Prince Charles is a loving grandfather to Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two. However, the Prince of Wales may be forced to miss the birth of their younger sibling, his third grandchild, following the news that he will be away in Australia with the Duchess of Cornwall at the beginning of April - the same month Kate is due to give birth. The royal couple are due to undertake a six-day Commonwealth Games and Australia tour, with engagements starting in Brisbane on 4 April, where they will represent the Queen at the opening of the XX1 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. On 6 April, Charles will then visit Queensland and the Northern Territory, before leaving on the 10 April to return to the UK. The father-of-two enjoys a close relationship with Prince William and Kate's oldest two children, and has previously spoken out about the importance of bonding with his grandchildren while they are young. He said: "It's a different part of your life. The great thing is to encourage them. Show them things to take their interest. My grandmother did that, she was wonderful." He added: "It is very important to create a bond when they are very young."
Prince Charles might be in Australia when Kate gives birth to his third grandchild
Royal onlookers will be on royal baby watch throughout the month of April, with bets already having been made from the newborn's gender to the name. As William and Kate have remained tight-lipped about their baby's gender, there is so far an equal split. Paddy Power's odds currently stand at 5/6 for a baby boy and 5/6 for a baby girl, while William Hill is similarly split at 10/11 for a female and 10/11 for a male. William recently joked that he would struggle if Kate was expecting twins, saying: "Twins? I think my mental health would be tested with twins." He added: "Our third child is due in April, I'm getting as much sleep as I can."
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Guesses are being placed on the name and gender of the new royal baby
British bookies have also been taking bets on the names for the Duke and Duchess's third child. The new Prince or Princess will likely have a traditional name that has strong royal connections; Prince George's full name is George Alexander Louis while Charlotte's is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, paying tribute to both Her Majesty and William's mother, Princess Diana. Current favourites for the third royal baby include Mary, which is the front-runner, Alice, Alexandra and Victoria for girls, and Arthur, Albert, Henry and Phillip for boys.
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