LONDON - It's a royal secret, but the Duchess of Cambridge may have inadvertently dropped a hint about the gender of the baby she and Prince William are expecting.

When a wellwisher gave the former Kate Middleton a teddy bear during a rare public appearance Tuesday, one woman in the crowd said she heard Kate respond: "Thank you, I will take that for my d..." before she broke off her comments.

That reported exchange was enough for Britain's tabloids to trumpet "It's a girl" in Wednesday's papers.

Sandra Cook, who was standing near Kate, told reporters that she asked Kate if she had been about to say, 'daughter' and was told at first that the royal couple did not know and then that the couple would not reveal the child's gender.

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