Is Kate Middleton pregnant?

The Duchess of Cambridge has been out and about on numerous occasions following her maternity leave after the birth of her daughter, Princess Charlotte.

While the Duchess looked cheerful during her recent royal engagements, a new report says that the mother-of-two has been looking quite peaked, particularly during a charity appearance and while on a holiday shopping trip in Chelsea. This led to speculation that the Duchess might be pregnant with her third child with Prince William.

In photos posted on Radar Online and published by The Daily Mail, the Duchess is seen at a royal engagement wearing a black and white houndstooth coat. While both media outlets pointed out that the Duchess looked tired, it's possible that the 33-year-old, just like other mothers, has been busy preparing for the holidays and is not pregnant like some have claimed.

In both of her pregnancies, the Duchess experienced severe morning sickness, or hyperemesis gravidarum, during the first trimester. The condition made it impossible for the Duchess to attend certain events, and as the Duchess has been busily making the rounds in the recent months, it's likely that the royal is not about to introduce a new sibling to Prince George and Princess Charlotte anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail was on the receiving end of much backlash after columnist Sarah Vine criticized the Duchess's appearance in the Monday edition of the British newspaper. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Duchess was described as "looking shattered" and Vine also reportedly cited some critics who said that the royal "looked closer to 40 than 30" during one of her engagements.

Readers took to social media and called for The Daily Mail to leave the Duchess alone.

"My God, if the Daily Mail thinks Kate looks bad, goodness knows what they'd say about me right now," wrote one commenter on Twitter. "Leave the poor woman alone!"