Prince William Begins Paternity Leave Early, Prince Harry Might Be in the U.K. When Royal Baby No. 2 Arrives!

Prince George's dad will be right by Kate Middleton's side in London when she goes into labor

By Rebecca Macatee Apr 21, 2015 12:53 PMTags
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate MiddletonDanny Martindale/WireImage

Talk about good timing!

Prince William has started paternity leave early after having completed a phase of his air ambulance helicopter training early. "This is due to a combination of the Duke performing well in the various modules and having very good flying conditions that allowed flight training and assessment to progress more quickly than had been planned," said a Kensington Palace spokesperson.

It's a relief, too, because it means Prince William will be right by Kate Middleton's side when she goes into labor, so he won't have to worry about making a mad dash from his training base in Norwich to the city to be there for royal baby No. 2's arrival! Per the palace, he will remain on unpaid paternity leave until June 1.

CPL Oliver Carter/Australian Defence Force via Getty Images

In other promising royal timing news, it looks like uncle Prince Harry could be in the U.K. when his second niece or nephew is born, too! Harry is currently in Australia, where he's serving a month-long term with Australian Army's North-West Mobile Force (NORFORCE) and the 1st Brigade. He's scheduled to attend Gallipoli commemorations in Turkey this weekend and be back home in the U.K. Sunday as a patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust, where he'll present medals to the winners.

So if Kate gives birth before Sunday, Harry will get to briefly visit with the newborn prince or princess! If not, though, he'll have to wait. He's scheduled to fly back to Australia on Monday to complete his term; he also scheduled for a royal tour of New Zealand in May.

PHOTOS: Kate's mommy style!

Now, when Harry picks up a baby gift for his fellow spare heir, should he think pink or go back to baby blue? We don't know yet, actually, because Kate and William won't know the gender of Prince George's sibling until he or she arrives! It seems, however, that the general gambling public is really hoping for a girl, but of course the collective commoners will be excited to meet a little lady or another precious prince when Kate and William introduce their newest family member to the world on those Lindo Wing steps!

Love all things royal? Tune in this Sunday for a brand-new episode of The Royals at 10 p.m. on E!