Future Uncle Harry and Aunt Pippa 'Shoo-Ins' as Royal Godparents, Expert Says
Prince William and Kate Middleton's child will have enviable relatives.
Dec. 4, 2012 — -- It seems that the future king or queen of England has dibs on the coolest aunt and uncle in town.
With the palace's announcement of Kate's pregnancy, Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, and Prince Harry are poised to be an aunt and uncle, respectively, for the first time.
"Everybody needs and Uncle Harry and an Aunt Pippa in their lives," ABC News' royal contributor Victoria Arbiter Brown said. "You've got stylish Pippa and great, fun Uncle Harry so I think they're going to be wonderful people to have around. You can imagine it's going to be great fun."
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Brown also predicts that Harry and Pippa will be "shoo-ins" as the royal heir's godparents.
"Kate is very close to her sister, Pippa, and William is infinitely, in the same way, close to Prince Harry. So, they are the obvious choice," Brown said. "They were the best man and the chief bridesmaid at their wedding, they're well-trusted, they're family.
"Harry covers the royal side, Pippa covers the Middleton side. So, of course it's very early days to be thinking about that stuff, but I think when it comes to godparents, they're probably a shoo-in."
It is normal for British royals to have several godparents. William has "legions" of godparents, Brown said, and also has "quite a few godchildren himself."
"It seems an honor more than anything and something that has generations of tradition," she added. "Prince William has got legions of godparents, actually, many from foreign royal families, many within his own family, and it's just really a huge honor to be asked."
Among William's godchildren is little Grace van Cutsem, the then 3-year-old bridesmaid who angrily stood on the palace balcony with her hands over her ears after the royal wedding.
"Godparents, of course, are a big deal, especially when you're talking about being a godparent to the future king or queen of England," Brown said. "They will be chosen very wisely and careful consideration will be given to who that job goes to."
It's "quite possible" that a member of the van Cutsem family or the Straubenzee family, close friends of William's, could be tapped as godparents to the heir.
"It really comes down to close, loyal friends, people they can trust, people that have been in the inner circle forever, people that are pretty much like family," Brown said.
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So far, Harry and Pippa have been mum on the pregnancy.
Harry was in the middle of a 4-month tour of duty as a chopper pilot in Afghanistan when the news of his sister-in-law's pregnancy broke. The royal family was only notified of Kate's pregnancy hours before the rest of the world.
"Harry has such a natural way with children as well," Brown said. "I think he'll be wonderful."
Pippa has been spotted in London but has not made any statement. She has been busy promoting her party planning book, "Celebrate."
Brown doesn't expect that we'll be hearing from Harry or Pippa on the pregnancy just yet.
"Pippa knows to keep quiet. It wouldn't be appropriate to have any kind of statement," she said. "I'm sure, at some point, when Kate is out of the woods and has probably had her 12-week scan and is fit and healthy, we will probably see a statement from the Middleton family altogether just expressing their delight at this news.