The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton says she is ready for sleepless nights after the birth of her first child, though has revealed her gender preference for the first time.

Attending the annual St Patrick's Day ceremony in Aldershot, Kate revealed to a guardsman that she wanted a baby boy, while the Duke Of Cambridge William wanted a little girl.

Sergeant Thomas Laven told Middleton he had a 7-month-old son, Theo. "I congratulated her on the impending birth and said you've got sleepless nights to come," he told reporters. "She said she was prepared for it," he added. Inside the Mons Barracks, Kate, 31, spoke to guardsman Lee Wheeler. "I asked her do you know if it's a girl or a boy and she said not yet," Wheeler, 29, said. "She said 'I'd like to have a boy and William would like a girl.' I asked her if she had any names and she said no." Another guardsman, Jason Perry, said, "I wished her congratulations and said I hope all is fine and well. She said yes it is. I asked is she excited to have her first child and she said very," he said.

Middleton wore a green Emilia Wickstead coat for the visit - a piece she also wore to a public event around a year ago. The Duchess wasn't perturbed by the driving rain and wind in Aldershot and handed out sprigs of shamrock at the St Patrick's Day parade.

Kate MiddletonKate Middleton Spoke To Guardsman in Aldershot About Her Baby