Prince George turns 1 on Tuesday and rumors are swirling that Duchess Kate is already pregnant again.

Childhood friend Jessica Hay told the media that a sibling was on the way for Prince George.

But what does the palace say? According to Parade.com:

"Kate's inner circle are buzzing with the news that she is pregnant," she said. "I've heard it from several different friends of theirs now and they're saying that they think there's going to be an official announcement in weeks."

"But a spokesperson for Kensington Palace claims that Kate and Jessica are no longer in contact, telling ECT Canada: "The duchess has not spoken to Jessica Hay for very many years. She is not in contact with her at all…."

"We'll treat Hay's "revelations" sceptically for the moment. But notice thatKensington Palace didn't go so far to actually deny that the duchess is expecting—could there be any truth to the rumors? We'll have to wait and see…"

So is there other evidence that she is already pregnant? According to the International Business Tribune:

"Kate Middleton's wardrobe has unusually changed, according to E! Online. The Duchess of Cambridge has reportedly been wearing loose-fitting clothes since July.
During the start of the Tour de France celebration, with the hot humidity outside, Kate was spotted wearing a long-sleeved, zipped-up dress. She allegedly even used her clutch bag to conceal her baby bump. Days prior she also donned on a belted red dress, again carrying a small purse to reportedly hide the growing baby inside her. It seems like she always had her hands poised over her belly, giving the impression that she's hiding something. E! also reported that when she was snapped carrying a bouquet of flowers while wearing another loose-fitting blue coat, she seemed to have purposely placed the bouquet before her growing belly."

All the rumors got me thinking about the optimal separation for the babies. I’m sure Kate has a lot of help but is 18 or so months enough of a separation? Is it too hard on the mother’s body to stretch back out that quickly or better because you don’t waste time getting all the way back into shape? (Although she looks in shape.) Would it take their focus off George too quickly? What do you think the optimum spacing is for sibs?