Dominic Lipinski-WPA Pool/Getty ImagesLet's call this a preview of family gatherings to come once the royal baby arrives.
As the world eagerly awaits the birth of Kate Middleton and Prince William's first child, members from both sides of the family got together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation Thursday in London.
Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, along with her siblings, Pippa and James, joined the royal family in the royal box at Buckingham Palace for the queen's Coronation Festival.
The Middletons sat two rows behind the queen, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, as they watched a string of performers, including soprano and Dancing With the Stars runner-up Katherine Jenkins.
Pippa looked radiant in a white-and-blue floral dress with lace overlay, while her brother kept things sleek in a blue suit and red tie.
Also in attendance was Prince William's cousin Zara Phillips, who made her first public appearance since announcing she was expecting her first child with husband Mike Tindall. (She kept her baby bump on the DL in a loose and flowing printed dress.)
The day proved to be a brief respite from the thrumming anticipation surrounding the royal baby's birth, and members of the royal family couldn't be more excited to herald the arrival of the latest addition to the clan.
Per U.K.'s The Telegraph, while touring the palace grounds at the Coronation Festival, Camilla reportedly told an attendee, "Yes, we are very excited—immensely looking forward to it and waiting for the phone call."
That phone call represents a significant milestone: In a break from tradition, Prince William has said that he plans to ring up the queen to let her know of her grandchild's birth—a departure from protocol in which the queen was to have been informed via a hand-delivered notice sent to the palace.
Also at the festival, Prince Charles was seen chatting with a vendor of china ware who had created a commemorative line of products to celebrate the royal baby's arrival.
"Ah, you're doing that. Well, it won't be long now," the Prince of Wales reportedly said.
Kate is due any day now—royal watchers have pegged her due date to be either July 13 or 14. And on Monday, she pulled a stealth number on reports when she managed to have a top-secret checkup at London's St. Mary's Hospital while buzzing members of the press corps—camped outside since early July—remained haplessly unaware.