Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Twenty-Two: Princess Adeline at 30

3rd of February 2017 - York House

"Happy Birthday mummy," Daphne cried climbing into the bed, Simon behind her carrying a tray with breakfast on with a smile upon his face.

Today Adeline turned thirty, a birthday that would be quietly celebrated by the family since she was thirty-two weeks pregnant and felt like a beach whale at the best of times.

Although Simon insisted that she was the most beautiful beached whale that he had ever seen when she had told him that the other night.

"We brought you some breakfast," Simon said setting the tray on the bed, he had wanted to spoil Adeline a little since she was heavily pregnant now and they still had a little to go before their baby arrived.

A book of baby names with a list on the top was set upon the bedside table, a couple of names circled and crossed out as they narrowed down their final choices.

"I help," Daphne announced proudly clapping her little hands, it was hard to believe that in a couple of weeks she would be turning two years old already.

The years seemed to be flying by and Simon couldn't believe how fast she was growing up, soon she would have a little brother or sister that would be joining them.

"You did, thank you," Adeline said moving to sit up a little in the bed and press a kiss to the top of Daphne's head, it was lovely when they got to share moments like this when they weren't busy with engagements.

Adeline was officially on her maternity leave now, her last engagement had been the announcement that she and her brother's had commissioned a statue of their mother to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death.

There had been talk of the three of them and their families going to her grave this year to lay flowers together, doing something to mark the occasion but talks had stalled when Harry had brough up his intentions to bring Meghan alone.

William didn't feel that it was appropriate for Meghan to attend when she was only a girlfriend while Harry insisted that if Simon and Catherine got to be there then it was only fair his partner was as well.

Adeline was more inclined to agree with William on the matter, she didn't know what it was but Meghan's fascination with their mother made her uneasy.

After Harry's statement in the middle of November, had been backed up by William and Adeline issuing their own in support of their brother; things seemed to settle only slightly despite Meghan being papped outside the visitors entrance of Kensington Palace rather than the normal entrance that the royals and their staff used.

"How does it feel to be thirty, flirty and thriving?" Simon joked moving to sit down on the bed, his own thirtieth had come within months of their wedding; he couldn't believe that they had been married three years this year. 

It didn't seem real that they were about to welcome their second child already, Daphne would be two years old in a matter of weeks; he wouldn't change anything about how his life had worked out. 

"It feels just like it did yesterday," Adeline replied patting her belly, she honestly couldn't wait for this part to be over with; she wanted to hold her baby in her arms and be done with feeling like a whale. 

The constant need to pee was not something that she enjoyed, nor was how sore her back was. Adeline wasn't sure when it happened, that her birthdays stopped feeling like she was growing up and instead just marked how fast the years were flying by as they moved forward. 

There never seemed to be a break in the passage of time, one minute they could be celebrating her birthday and the next minute it was Christmas again before she'd even had a chance to enjoy herself.