Baby rumours rife after Kate says 'no' to alcohol

Prince William recently revealed that he wants to have two children with his wife Catherine, but could the first really be on the way?

Speculation that the Duchess of Cambridge could be expecting a royal heir is not new. But when she toasted to Queen Elizabeth with water instead of wine at a state dinner in the Istana in Singapore on Tuesday, it sparked off rumours again all around the world.

This was unusual because Kate - who was president of her university's girls drinking society and had once frequented London nightclubs - has a reputation for liking a drink or two. So her decision to turn down alcohol was highly telling.

Besides, it is convention for royals to propose a toast with wine. Prince William himself opted for a glass filled with Bordeaux.

She had apparently declined alcohol not once but twice - the second time was at Eden Hall on Thusday where she toasted with water again, according to US-based publication The Daily.

However, royal commentators have brushed off the pregnancy rumours, saying that the Duchess was simply tired from the travelling and was not up for a drink.

Some newspapers also speculated that she had shown off what may be a hint of a baby bump in a floral shift dress designed by Singapore-born Prabal Gurung.

The Daily also reported that the usually super-slender Duchess has been looking rounder at her mid-section than ever before.

However, sceptics argued that the loose-fitting dress that she was seen wearing once has more to do with Singapore's humid weather. Other times, she was spotted mostly in fitted dresses belted in at the waist.

An English journalist travelling with the royal couple, Robert Johnson, tweeted: "We are told not to read anything into Kate toasting in water at state banquet. That said, the Duchess does like the odd drink."

Rumours abound whenever the couple go on tours. In Denmark last November, tabloids reported that the Duchess was pregnant because she refused to eat peanut paste - which is a food expectant mums often avoid. At that time, it was rumoured that she was six months into her pregancy, which means she would have given birth in June or July 2012. But no bump (or infant) materialised.

The couple are in Malaysia now for the second part of the their nine-day tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific region to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

-Diva