Kate Middleton Finishes Final Task before Maternity Leave; Duchess May Go for Hypno-Therapy as Birth Method (PHOTOS)

The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton, completed her final task before she went on maternity leave Thursday.

Kate Middleton, who is due in July, christened a cruise ship in Southampton, England. She officially named the ship 'Royal Princess' and became its godmother.

Royal  becoming godmothers to sailing vessels is a longtime maritime tradition. The Duchess in tune with the royal tradition, cut off the rope holding a champagne bottle, which smashed against the ship's hull and declared, "I name this ship Royal Princess, may God bless her and all who sail in her." 

The Duchess looked ultra-sophisticated in a Dalmatian print coat dress that finely hid her baby bump and a black Sylvia Fletcher at Lock &Co. fascinator.

The cruise ship Royal Princess is designed to hold 3,600 passengers that include 1,346 onboard crew members. The ship will feature latest amenities like an atrium, multiple dining rooms, pools and cabanas. According to Alan Buckelew, chief executive of Princess Cruises, the ship will also have a TV studio, top-deck fountain, glass-bottom walkway and "the largest pastry shop at sea."

Captain Tony Draper shows Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, around the 'Royal Princess' cruise ship after she attended her naming ceremony.

Naming ceremonies are usually considered to be blessings of fortune and safety for the ships.  Prior to Kate, Princess Ships had prominent godmothers such as Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren.

The ship's first journey will begin in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday and it will pass through the Grand Mediterranean for the summer. It will  sail to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Eastern Caribbean in the winters.


Meanwhile, there are reports of the Duchess zeroing in on hypnotherapy as her birth plan. Grazia magazine reports that Kate has chosen hypnotherapy as her birth method. "Kate has researched various birthing methods. She wants it to be natural, so hypno-birthing is one option that appealed and she had been reading up on it and listening to CDs to get into the right frame of mind," a source told the magazine. It is reported that during the delivery the Duchess will be submerged in a birthing pool at St Mary Hospital in Paddington, London, where her husband Prince William was born.

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