Those are the questions keeping royal watchers and commoners alike fascinated as the countdown to the royal baby’s birth builds.

Click HERE for Everything You Need to Know About the Royal Baby

Royal watchers are so eagerly anticipating the mid-July due date of Kate, 31, that they have started generating images of the future monarch.  The results of mashing Kate and William’s features together range from the adorable to the awkward.

Is This the Face of the Future Child of Prince William and Kate?

“If it’s a boy, we think it’s going to have the fair British skin and larger ears, which are very traditional in the Royal Family,” said Rosie Pope, the London-born creator of Rosie Pope Maternity and a contributing editor to Parents’ magazine.

Wish the Royal Family Well: Sign the Royal Baby Guestbook

Royal watchers say the baby is unlikely to have the blonde hair of its paternal grandmother, the late Princess Diana, because light hair is a recessive, not a dominant trait.  The baby could still inherit some of his or her grandmother’s world-renowned looks, however.

“Obviously Princess Diana was very slender and they’re also qualities that Kate and William have as well,” said Victoria Murphy, consultant for ABC News and royal reporter for the U.K.’s Daily Mirror.

Pittsburgh-based artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm took the guessing game of Kate and William’s offspring one step further by enlisting the aid of a geneticist to help him render what a male and female heir might look like.

Using Will and Kate’s dominant traits as a guide, Lamm says the child is likely to have Kate’s almond-shaped eyes, dark hair and dark skin. From Prince William the young heir will inherit his lips and nose, according to Lamm, the same nose genetically carried through the line of the baby’s male relatives, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Prince Harry, the baby’s great-grandfather, grandfather and uncle, respectively.

Another trait the lucky royal heir is predicted to inherit?  Kate’s dimples, experts say, as dimples are also a dominant trait.

Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 at the age of 36, has left a legacy for the kind of mother Kate, 31, will be when she gives birth to the couple’s first child this month.

Click HERE for the Ultimate Countdown to the Royal Baby

“Diana was a fabulous mother,” Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told ABC News.  “She [Kate] will want to bring their child up with some of the values William had.”

Look Back at Princess Diana Through the Years

Diana, royal experts say, taught Prince William, 31, and his brother, Prince Harry, 28, their values by example through her charity work with landmine victims and people living with AIDS.

She also broke the years of traditions in the royal household by openly showering her boys with love and demanding they be included on royal trips taken by her and the boys’ father, Prince Charles, including a trip to Australia when William was an infant.

Send a Message to the Royal Baby!

“They said, ‘Well, no, royal babies don’t go on these tours,’” Arthur Edwards, royal photographer for The Sun, recalled of the palace’s response.  “She said, ‘William doesn’t go, I don’t go.’”

Likewise, it has been said that Kate and William plan to raise their child without the help of an entourage of nannies and staff, relying instead on the help of Kate’s mom, Carole Middleton, and themselves.

“She will be a full-time mum and, I think, at that stage she will do it by herself, really,” ABC News’ royal contributor Victoria Murphy said last month, referring to Kate’s planned maternity leave from royal duties.  “When her timetable starts up again, I think they will, at that stage, look to get some help, absolutely. And it’s an incredibly important job.”

Around the time of his 2011 wedding to Kate, Prince William himself recalled his mother fondly as a hands-on mom and his own disappointment that she never got to meet Kate, whom he met while in college.

9 Burning Questions About the Royal Baby

“She played a huge part in my life and Harry’s growing up in how we saw and experienced things,” he said of Diana.

“It’s the one time since she’s died I’ve thought to myself how fantastic if she was here,” William said of his wedding day.  “I’m just very sad she’s never going to get a chance to meet Kate.”

In an interview at the same time, Prince Harry agreed with his older brother.

“She would have loved, loved Kate,” he said of their mom.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

With all the hoopla surrounding the royal baby due to be born in mid-July, you can’t help but wonder what will happen to William and Kate’s first “child,” their beloved black cocker spaniel, Lupo, once the baby comes along.

Lupo has been a part of the royal family since last winter when he was born to the Middleton’s family dog, Ella, and believed to have been given to Duchess Kate as a 30^th birthday present from William.

The pup quickly stole the royal couple’s hearts, as well as the rest of the world’s. He was often photographed trotting alongside William and Kate during walks on the beach, through the woods, and even accompanying his dad on the polo field.

Kate Middleton Lets Royal Dog’s Name Slip: Lupo

Tatler, the British glossy magazine, was so enthralled with Lupo that editors overlooked the fact he wasn’t even a real person when deciding to name him 50^th on their “50 most fascinating people in the country” poll in January.

But with all this attention and spotlight being focused on Lupo, how on earth can the royal parents-to-be prepare their beloved pet for a new baby that will obviously alter their lives, drastically forcing their attention elsewhere?

9 Burning Questions About the Royal Baby

“When you have a young couple, like the royal couple, before they have children, the dog becomes the center of their universe. They treat it like their child,” Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Center at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass., told GoodMorningAmerica.com. “You can see how the dog becomes the center of their universe, totally spoiled, but that sets the stage for him having his nose get out of joint when their baby comes and disrupts his harmony.”

Therefore, Dodman says there are several actions William and Kate can take to get Lupo acclimated to having a baby in the household. Here is a list of the top 10 steps he suggests for getting the dog used to the new situation:

1) Keep the baby’s bedroom off limits, even before it arrives.

“If there are going to be any changes in the internal arrangements, it’s that the baby’s own room is off limits,” Dodman explained. “If the dog can’t go in there before the baby comes, then the baby doesn’t get credit for banning that behavior.”

2) Take the dog on walks with a baby doll in the stroller.

“Put a dolly in a stroller and have the dog go walking around the palace grounds,” said Dodman. “This gets the dog used to the idea of having a baby there, as a part of life, before the actual baby becomes part of the equation.”

3) Play tape recordings of babies crying.

“It seems to be the most annoying thing about the new baby, but if you play tapes of babies crying, it does wonderful things for the dog,” Dodman said. “They get used to the sounds of nails on a chalkboard. The sound upsets dogs more anything, so you can desensitize them with pre-recorded tapes you can buy.”

4) Get the dog comfortable with the baby’s scent.

“Bring clothing, or blankets or booties or something the dog can sniff to get used to it,” he explained. “When the baby is born, choose some clothes that have the baby’s scent to let the dog explore. The goal is trying to slowly introduce various aspects of the baby from geographical arrangements, to sounds, to smells. You could even walk around with the dog to other places where people have babies.”

5) Mom walks in first, then Dad enters with the baby.

“When bringing the baby home, how things work out really depends on the personality of the dog,” Dodman said. “Usually after the mom’s been away at the hospital, allow her to greet the excited dog first.  Then Dad comes in with baby. Then baby is held while dog is on leash, and dog is allowed to sniff the baby.”

6) Dog naturally learns to protect the new “pack member.”

“The first year of life, they will pretty much ignore the baby, but recognize it as a ‘new pack member,’ and it will protect this person who is now part of its group,” he explains. “And so it may be if they have a visitor, and that visitor walks up to the bassinet, the dog might growl. The natural instinct is to protect.”

7) Be aware, the dog looks at the baby as a toy.

“If you have a dog on the pushy side, this could be a bit of an issue,” Dodman said. “Maybe not immediately, but when the baby starts to crawl very fast, or at least when they’re toddling, the dog looks at them like a big, fuzzy toy.”

8) The dog will protect itself from the child.

“Babies will pull on their tails and poke them in the eye,” said Dodman. “Children do dumb things, and they really need suppressing. It’s usually not the dog that is the instigator. The child goes to the dog, not maliciously, but certainly not welcomed by the dog, and the dog will turn around and protect itself.”

9) If the dog sleeps on your bed, break that habit now.

“If the dog is on the bed, that could be an issue,” he said. “If you’re going to change that arrangement, you want to do that before the baby comes along. This is an attempt to get the dog used to the new situation before the baby arrives and proper introductions are in place.”

10) Lastly, this is the overall rule of thumb.

“Be inclusionary during daylight hours when baby is around, not exclusionary,” Dodman explains. “If Kate was nursing the baby, and the dog was jumping around her, acknowledge and praise him to let him know he hasn’t been displaced in the family.

“Most people think when the baby is sleeping, now is the time to make up to the dog. But that’s incorrect because he thinks it’s the baby’s fault he hasn’t been getting any attention. They can end up blaming the baby for coming in and interrupting their life. And you end up with a sibling rivalry situation, they might start to urine mark around the house because they feel insecure because they want to reclaim it as their own. Allow the dog into activities as much as possible. At evenings when the baby is in bed, let it be quiet. The dog needs to be able to look forward to the baby.”

Celebrate the upcoming birth of the royal baby with a gift and message.

See Kate’s Best Royal Baby Bump Fashions

The maternity looks Kate, 31, has sported while pregnant with the couple’s first child have been no different, drawing high praise for their style while tastefully accentuating her growing baby bump.

Click HERE for Everything You Need to Know About the Royal Baby

Not every mom-to-be, however, has the budget or the time to shop for a whole new wardrobe while preparing for baby.  Lori Bergamotto, contributing style editor of Lucky magazine, appeared on “Good Morning America” today with creative ways to get Kate’s pregnancy fashion for less.

 9 Burning Questions About the Royal Baby

Read below to see four looks worn by Kate transformed into budget-friendly outfits from head to toe.

Kate’s Look: Topshop Polka Dot Dress With Ralph Lauren Jacket

Budget-Friendly Look: 

Chaps “Polka Dot Empire” dress, $85, Kohls.com

Elle Jacket, $72, Kohls.com

Jewelry Stylist earrings, $15.00, Shoplately.com

Emitations ring, $24.95, Emitations.com 

Le Sera by Franchi bag, $85, Franchiaccessories.com

Chinese Laundry “Area” shoes, $69.95, Macys.com

Kate’s Look: Emilia Wickstead Yellow Coat Dress and Jane Corbett Hat

Budget-Friendly Look:

Ann Taylor “Topper” dress coat, $99.88, AnnTaylor.com

Eye Heart Me “Penny” headband, $54.00, Etsy.com/shop/eyeheartme

Sequin earrings, $28, Sequin-nyc.com

Emitations ring, $24.95, Emitations.com

Steven by Steve Madden “Mikka” shoes, $89, Macys.com

Nina “Lezli” clutch, $58, Zappos.com

Kate’s Look: Erdem Printed Dress

Budget-Friendly Look:

Asos Maternity “Mirror Floral” dress, $50.91, Asos.com

Nine West “Drusilla” shoes, $79.00, Macys.com

Carlo Fellini “Claire” clutch, $24.99, Amazon.com  

Glint & Gleam ”Evil Eye” necklace, $10.50, Shoplately.com

Emitations ring, $24.95, Emitations.com

ABC News’ Mary Pflum reports:

While expectant father Prince William spent the weekend attending a wedding with his brother, Prince Harry, William’s pregnant wife was home getting ready for the arrival of the newest heir to the British throne.

Kate Middleton, 31, the Duchess of Cambridge, is due to give birth in mid-July to her first child.

Wish the Royal Family Well: Sign the Royal Baby Guestbook

The stylish duchess made her last official pre-baby appearances last week, and as the world awaits the birth of the baby, many are now wondering how his — or her — nursery will look.

Victoria Murphy, ABC News’ royals contributor, shared her insight, saying the duchess’s decorating style is very similar to her style of dress.

“She likes very classic … very simple things, very elegant,” Murphy said.

Check out Kate’s Pregnancy Fashion in Photos

The duchess is reportedly preparing two nurseries — one at their newly renovated apartment at 300-year-old Kensington Palace, and another at her parents’ estate in the small English community of Bucklebury. That’s where the duchess is expected to spend time with her mother, Carole Middleton, following the baby’s birth.

Items in the royal nursery will include a Moses basket. The duchess and her mother were recently seen loading a basket, which retails for $450, into a car.

The mother-to-be has also been seen shopping at chic London boutiques for throw pillows, rugs and drapes.

While the duchess has been seen purchasing some upscale items, royal watchers say people shouldn’t expect her to go overboard investing in ostentatious baby bling.

“She does like a bargain, we know that she’s haggled for antique things in markets. We know that she visits outlet stores,” Murphy said.

From Kate’s baby bump fashion to possible names, click HERE for full coverage of the royal baby.

The duchess has, however, made one modern investment: She’s reportedly purchased a Bugaboo chameleon stroller in jewel blue with stylish stripes. It’s considered a unisex design, which is perfect for the soon-to-be-parents, who’ve opted not to learn the baby’s gender in advance.  The stroller Kate picked out is believed to have cost $1,800.

Managers at Giggle, the baby store to the stars, say they expect what they’re now calling “the Kate stroller” to sell out quickly.

“The colors she picks, the items in the nursery, they’re all going to be hot ticket items,” said Jackie Courlas, the sales captain at Giggle.

“GMA” spoke to mothers who agree.

RELATED: The Royal Birth: What to Expect From Kate and William

Said one woman of the duchess: “She’s got fantastic taste. She’s dressed so well throughout this pregnancy.”

Added another woman: “I think everybody will be looking to see what she will get. I will for sure.”

Tim Ireland/PA/AP Photo

Queen Elizabeth is about to be a great-grandmother and celebrate the 60th anniversary of her coronation. But she now has another title to add her repertoire:  the first member of the Royal Family to win Britain’s prestigious Gold Cup race.

Queen Elizabeth’s 4-year-old horse Estimate won the two and a half mile race today, which is part of the five-day Royal Ascot race that ends on June 20.  Her son, Prince Andrew Duke of York presented an ecstatic Queen with the Gold Cup as a reward.

According to the Royal Ascot website, Gold Cup Day is known as “ladies day” because it is when the female attendees roll out their greatest outfits.

Although the race began 207 years ago, a horse of the royal family had yet to win the Gold Cup title, giving Queen Elizabeth’s victory a place in filial history.

Estimate has won other races as well, most recently the Sagaro Stakes in May, which also took place at Ascot, according to the BBC.

Splash News

It’s not often that Britain’s photogenic and popular royal heirs, Prince William and Prince Harry, are upstaged but that’s exactly what happened at a charity polo match Sunday.

The brothers were walking off the field at the International Audi Polo event in Gloucestershire, England, when a young female admirer captured what she thought was the picture of a lifetime, an up-close shot of the two princes happily obliging their fan with smiles for the camera.

Watch Will and Kate Celebrate the Queen’s 60^th Anniversary

The female fan instead became the story after her over-the-top reaction to nabbing a photo of the princes on her iPhone was captured by another photographer.  The girl can be seen throwing her hands into the air in excitement as Prince Harry and Prince William continue walking right next to her.  A second photo shows her celebrating with a friend just inches behind the two princes, who seem to smile knowing what is going on behind them.

Prince William, 30, and Prince Harry, 29, competed against each other in a match at the polo event, part of the Gloucestershire Festival of Polo.

Get the Inside Scoop on Duchess Kate’s Royal Pregnancy

Prince William’s wife, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, skipped the event after making her last public appearance before her maternity leave at the Queen’s Trooping the Color parade on June 14.

William and Kate, 31, are expecting their first child, the royal heir, in mid-July.

Getty

An eight-months-pregnant Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton was glowing and sporting a healthy baby bump at her last public appearance Friday before her maternity sequester begins.

The duchess, 31, stood out in a pale, baby-pink coat and hat alongside her husband, Prince William, and brother-in-law, Prince Harry, both dressed in formal military wear.

See Duchess Kate’s Growing Baby Bump on Display at Queen’s Coronation

For close royal watchers who looked to the duchess’s clothing color  as a cheeky nod, or slight hint, to the unannounced sex of the couple’s baby, her grandmother-in-law,  the queen, was dressed in a blue coat and hat, leaving bettors still at odds over whether the royal heir would be a boy or girl when it arrives in mid-July.

PHOTOS: The Life and Times of Kate Middleton

The duchess and the princes joined the rest of Britain’s royal family Friday for Trooping the Color,  the annual celebration held to mark the queen’s official birthday, which was April 21.

Watch Will and Kate Celebrate the Queen’s 60^th Anniversary

The celebration included more than 1,000 soldiers, horses and musicians participating in the parade for the 87-year-old queen, who just marked her 60^th year on the throne.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were joined at the event by their father, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, as well as Prince Andrew and his daughters Princesses ­Beatrice and Eugenie, and the Earl and ­Countess of Wessex with their 9-year-old daughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.

Get the Inside Scoop on Duchess Kate’s Royal Pregnancy

Noticeably absent from the festivities was the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, who was hospitalized June 6 for exploratory abdominal surgery and discharged today.   The queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, accompanied her in the royal glass coach in Philip’s absence.

Now the attention of royal watchers is back on Duchess Kate and her highly anticipated delivery.  The duchess made her last solo public engagement June 13 when she christened the 3,600-passenger Royal Princess cruise line from Princess Cruises.

Now the duchess will be “playing the waiting game,” just like any other expectant mom, according to royal experts.

“She’s not going to be running around with a bump that size, so I think she’ll be putting her feet up, relaxing, spending time with her family and spending time with William,” ABC News’ royal consultant Victoria Murphy said of the duchess after the cruise ship christening.

Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton showed off her baby bump earlier today during a visit to a Manchester, England, primary school made famous by a British television show.

The duchess spent two hours at the Willows Primary School, where she launched a new charitable project aimed at helping children and their families cope with chemical addiction. The school is located in the Wythenshawe housing estate, the setting for “Shameless,” Channel 4′s critically acclaimed comedy-drama about a working-class community.

PHOTOS: The Life and Times of Kate Middleton

“The cycle of addiction needs to be broken,” she said in a speech, according to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper. “My hope is that through this specialist and targeted delivery of care, these children will have the best possible start in life – the one that they deserve.‪‪”

The new counseling program is being run by two of Kate’s charities, Place2Be and Action on Addiction, in partnership with Comic Relief and her husband, Prince William, and Prince Harry’s charity the Royal Foundation.

Click for More on Kate Middleton’s Three New Charities

In addition to planting a willow tree, the duchess also met with a few families to hear about their experiences with addiction.

Earlier, as she arrived by train from London, Kate was greeted by cheering school children and showered with gifts, including a doggy hamper for her cocker spaniel, Lupo, which was delivered by a 10-year-old student and the school’s mascot, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Henry.

“Henry, you have gone to so much trouble,” the duchess, 31, said, obviously delighted, according to The Telegraph.

Now six months pregnant, Kate’s baby bump was visible beneath her $1,500 Erdem floral-print dress, which she paired with blue suede heels.

The school, which has had a notable turnaround in recent years, according to The Telegraph, recently suffered a blow. On April 11, the day Kate’s visit was announced, vandals set fire to the school’s new $60,000 playground.

                                                              (Image Credit: Paul Ellis/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

ABC News: Ma'ayan Rosenzweig

There are many fruits and veggies that have provided a useful reference for the size of the royal fetus, now in its 18^th week of development. A bell pepper, apple and tomato come to mind. However, at roughly 5-and-a-half inches long and 7 ounces in weight, a sweet potato seems the best comparison right now.

Lots of developments happening at this point.

With the ears now in their final position, the bones in the inner ear canal nearly formed and the nerve connections between the ears and the brain fully matured, the baby can now hear Kate’s heart beating and the blood flowing through the umbilical cord.  The taste buds have also sprung to life.

If HRH-to-be is a boy, he now has a prostate. If a girl, she has a uterus. Regardless of the sex, the baby can now yawn, stretch and make facial expressions. It’s strong enough, big enough and active enough that Kate may feel the occasional kick or flip in her tummy.