The Royal baby's godparents are expected to be announced just before the christening.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have previously opted for close friends and valued family members for the spiritual role.

They will chose confidantes rather than following the Windsor tradition of selecting older royal relatives.

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It is likely that the baby will have five godparents, as does Charlotte, whereas George, a future king, has seven.

George's seven godparents included Julia Samuel - a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, the couple's former private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton and William's cousin Zara Tindall, while Charlotte's five included Kate's school friend Sophie Carter and Laura Fellowes - the daughter of one of Diana's sisters.

Possible contenders include:

William and Kate may ask another of the van Cutsem brothers who are old family friends of the Duke.

They selected William van Cutsem for George and may pick one of his siblings - Hugh, Edward or Nicholas - or perhaps Hugh's wife Rose van Cutsem this time.

The Duke of Cambridge is godfather to Hugh and Rose's daughter Grace, who was a bridesmaid at the royal wedding and almost stole the show on the balcony after covering her ears during the flypast.

Kate's Marlborough College friends include Catriona 'Trini' Foyle, Alice Avenel (nee St. John Webster), Alicia Stoddart (nee Fox-Pitt) and Hannah Carter (nee Gillingham).

Others in the couple's social circle include jockey Sam Waley-Cohen and his wife Bella, William's school friend Tom Sutton and his wife Harriet, heir to Viscount Allendale, Wentworth 'Wenty' Beaumont and his wife Vanessa, Lady Iona Hewitt, and Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, an old friend of Kate's who runs the fashion label Beulah London.

William and Kate's former university flatmates are Fergus Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale who also attended their 2011 wedding.

From the royal side, William's cousin Peter Phillips could be a safe bet.

If William and Kate wanted to fully welcome Prince Harry's bride to be Meghan Markle into the fold, they could make her their new baby's godmother. The move would delight the baby's Uncle Harry.