The Duchess of Cambridge's big adventure Kate could probably carry on until she was due to give birth but no risks are being taken. On Thursday, the Duchess will perform her last public duty at Southampton docks, where she will officially name a new Princess cruise liner, Royal Princess. As the ship's Godmother, she will be central to the ceremony, which will involve a blessing and the celebratory tradition of smashing the bottle over the hull of the ship as she names it. Then, after sitting pretty in a carriage at Trooping the Colour on Saturday - if she is not too uncomfortable - and the Garter lunch at Windsor on Monday (Prince William is a Knight of the Garter) she is free. Kate's engagement diary has been left open until the New Year, although she will no doubt be out and about sooner. Royal mothers retreat and reappear at different times depending on how they adapt to pregnancy and motherhood. Diana was pretty visible during her pregnancy and insisted on doing things her way. She was terrified she might have to adhere to tradition and have her baby at Buckingham Palace, telling friends she couldn't imagine anything worse than giving birth among the ornate grandeur. In the end, she decided to give birth in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's, where her gynaecologist, George Pinker, was the senior consultant. It was the first time an Heir Presumptive was born in a public hospital, albeit in a private ward. It was also the first time an heir to the throne had sat at his wife's bedside while she gave birth. "I think it's a very good thing for a husband to be with a mother when she is expecting a baby," he told well-wishers at the beginning of Diana's pregnancy in November 1981. He had no intention of being left out and, 30 years ago, this was fairly unconventional. Prince Charles was considered progressive to want to be at his wife's side. In much the same way, Prince William is following modern convention by taking paternity leave. Two weeks" Armed Forces leave from his Search and Rescue RAF commitment will allow him to bond with the baby they have nicknamed "our little grape." Many parents have code names for their child - "baby Yorklet," in Andrew and Fergie's case - but bookies are no longer taking bets on the real names for the baby, favourites being Elizabeth, Diana and Victoria for a girl, and George, Philip and Albert for a boy. Whatever happens, Kate will remain in charge. If she wants to take the baby to her parents in Bucklebury after the birth, she will. Most women want to be with their mothers after the baby is born, and the idea of being in a comfortable country house with acres of grounds and mummy on hand to help is far preferable to the idea of being in fortress Kensington Palace with a housekeeper they hardly know. Carole Middleton's somewhat eccentric brother, Gary Goldsmith, has promoted this idea: "The fact that they are taking the baby to Carole's for the first six weeks is genius," he has said. Despite worries about security, it is perfectly possible that it would work. The Middletons have enough money to do what they like and they would not have to upset the taxpayer by using Thames Valley Police. Hiring a private security firm to patrol the grounds of their £4.5-million Georgian home in Upper Bucklebury is well within their means. For Kate, and indeed William - used to the companionship and informality of the Middleton family - it would be perfect. Meanwhile, Kate is set to enjoy her last few weeks before her mid-July birth. Sister Pippa has organised a super baby shower where close friends will bring gifts for Baby Cambridge and toast mum with cupcakes and champagne. This is another break from tradition - baby showers are an American invention, and previous royal mums-to-be have not been lucky enough to have a sister like Pippa whose business it is to organise such frippery. Guests are receiving luxury goodie bags with Jo Malone candles and little gifts from the White Company. It would not be a Middleton party without a goodie bag, as that is how the family business, Party Pieces, started. Kate is said to be practising yoga in readiness for the birth - not unlike Diana, who practised deep breathing under the tutelage of birth guru, the late Betty Parsons. Fitness has always been an important part of Kate's schedule, but her time is also taken up with preparing the temporary nursery at Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace in case their main apartment is not ready. The discovery of asbestos has delayed the building works in apartment IA, which is in fact a four-storey house that forms half the Clock Tower Wing. For Kate, one of the main attractions of the house, designed by Christopher Wren in the 17th century, is the beautiful walled garden, perfect for pushing baby and indulging her burgeoning interest in gardening. With the help of her mum, Kate has been choosing furnishings and fabric for the house in very much the same way Diana did 30 years before. Diana and Charles only moved into their Kensington Palace apartment a month before William was born and Diana, her mother Frances Shand Kydd, and interior designer, Dudley Poplack, had it ready just in time. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have already set the trend for greater informality among their generation of senior royals and proved that they can rewrite the rules. Despite their royal heritage - or perhaps because of it - a life of even greater informality beckons for their offspring. Ingrid Seward is editor-in-chief of 'Majesty" magazine. Her new book 'A Century of Royal Children" will be published in September