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The Duchess of Cambridge decided to have two children less than two years apart because she intends to have a third child before she is 35, friends have claimed.

The Duke of Cambridge has said in the past that he would be happy with two children but the Duchess, who is 32, is one of three siblings which may have influenced her opinion of what constitutes the perfect family.

Women’s fertility declines rapidly after the age of 35, but the Duchess will only be 33 when her second child is born, giving her plenty of time to try for a third.

The Duchess has reportedly told friends she would like “at least” three children to give Prince George and her second baby the chance of having the sort of family environment she had.

The Duchess is just 20 months older than her sister Pippa and less than five years older than her brother James. They remain incredibly close and rarely go more than a month without meeting up at the family home in Bucklebury, Berks.

Prince George’s brother or sister is likely to be born in April or May, meaning there will be almost exactly the same age gap as there is between the Duchess and Pippa Middleton.

The Prince of Wales said today he was “thrilled” at the news that he is to be a grandfather again, as he spoke for the first time about the Duchess’s pregnancy.

Visiting a Prince’s Trust project in south London, he was congratulated by Toying Owoseje, 26, who shook his hand after he was introduced to her sister Damilola, a young entrepreneur.

The Prince smiled and said: “What did I do? It’s not here yet! No, it’s wonderful, we are very happy. It’s splendid, very exciting.”

With the Queen’s birthday falling on April 21, Elizabeth is already the bookies’ favourite for the new baby’s name if it is a girl.

There remains the possibility that the Duchess could be carrying twins, and the bookmaker Coral has halved the odds on a double pregnancy to just 10-1 after a customer placed a ￡1,000 ($1,750) bet on twins.

Seven in ten bets are being placed on the baby being a girl, while Philip and Charles are heavily-backed names for a boy.

The Duchess had been due to appear on Wednesday at the Invictus Games, the event for wounded servicemen organised by Prince Harry, but she is unlikely to be well enough to attend after Kensington Palace announced she was suffering from severe pregnancy sickness, as she did with Prince George.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said no decision had yet been made on whether the Duchess would attend the Games, or whether she will be able to carry out her first solo foreign tour, to Malta on September 20-21.

The Duchess is being seen regularly by doctors who are treating her at home in Kensington Palace.