Indeed, the royal baby gossiping and knitting of baby socks has begun.

Rumours are swirling that the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly known as Kate, is pregnant again.

They are being fuelled by online reports from the likes of The National Enquirer, which screamed KATE MIDDLETON PREGNANT WITH SECOND CHILD! and British tabloid The Mirror, which ran the article titled 'Kate Middleton Pregnant Again, claims ex-school friend - but Buckingham Palace stays tight-lipped over rumours’.

Gossip magazine OK! also ran with the story Kate Middleton Is Pregnant with Baby Number Two! Her Best Friend Spills the Beans. According to OK!, her close friend, Jessica Hay, told Australian publication New Idea that “Kate’s inner circle are buzzing with the news that she is pregnant.”

Hay also “also pointed out that Kate’s face has been looking fuller once again, and she’s changed up her hair to hide it,” OK! reported.

The Huffington Post reported on another OK! report that Tabloid Claims Duchess Of Cambridge Is Having Twin Girls.

BREAKING NEWS: #KateMiddleton is pregnant! http://t.co/9PPHQAg8m6 pic.twitter.com/rZlP7RuYk3 — Radar Online (@radar_online) July 14, 2014

Fairfax Media could not confirm if Jessica Hay was in the inner circle of Kate Middleton’s friendship circle – or still in her circle of trust, but ET Canada reported that Palace: Duchess Kate Hasn’t Spoken To Jessica Hay In ‘Many Years’ .

OMG! Kate Middleton's friend confirmed she's expecting baby number 2: http://t.co/2jNv26HTh5 #babynews — HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) July 14, 2014

Not exactly water-tight evidence to back-up the pregnancy rumours, then.The fact that Kate has apparently not seen 'best friend' Jessica Hay for several years also seems beside the point.

But, for the doubters, OK magazine comes through with compelling evidence of an impending royal sprog.

"Kate’s face has been looking fuller once again, and she’s changed up her hair," they say.

During her tour of New Zealand and Australia, Middleton enjoyed a few glasses of wine at an Otago winery as well as jet boating on the Shotover River in Queenstown, evidence she was not pregnant at the time, E! reported.

Whether she is pregnant again, remains to be seen. She only confirmed her first pregnancy, in December 2012, after a bout of morning sickness so severe that she ended up in hospital.

The 32-year-old gave birth to their first child, Prince George on July 22 last year.

The Palace is refusing to respond to any of the rumours of the Duchess's pregnancy.

"No comment from Buckingham Palace," an official press spokesman for the Duchess of Cambridge said over the phone.

Woman's Day royal editor Karleigh Smith, who covered the couple's tour of New Zealand and Australia, said that while the Palace will never confirm or deny rumours, Ms Hay - the alleged source for the pregnancy story - is not close to the Duchess.

"William and Kate's true friendship circle is very small and made up of only their most trusted confidants. Jessica Hay, whose link to the Duchess is that they shared a school dorm together when they were 14, is not a member of this group," she said.

Perhaps the tabloid backlash has been spawned by the limited access local media have been getting to the royal family recently.

Reporters and photographers were not admitted to Windsor Castle on Monday where Prince William and Harry hosted a celebrity cricket match to raise funds for United for Wildlife and a campaign to raise awareness of wildlife crime through sport and social media.

Remarkably - although not surprisingly, given recent form - no photographers or journalists have been invited to record this charity event. — Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) July 14, 2014

Oh no, just seen that no photography is allowed at Windsor Castle today...you reckon I could sneak a #selfie with the legend, Prince Harry? — Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) July 14, 2014

While Kate was not present at the match, the Duchess' official duties have also been in the spotlight in recent weeks with reports she is expected to embark on her first solo tour in September.

The Palace is yet to confirm the assignment, however it is believed Kate will fly to Malta to commemorate the nation's 50 years of independence. She will no doubt be briefed by the Queen, as she and Prince Philip lived on the Mediterranean island for the first two years of their marriage from 1949.

Prior to that proposed trip she will accompany Prince William and Prince Harry to Belgium later this month after George's first birthday.

- with Jenna Clarke