Royal baby: who will be Prince William and Kate Middleton's baby's friends and playmates?

The royal baby certainly won't be short of playmates over the coming years. As the third child of Prince William and Kate, the new arrival will be raised at Kensington Palace with two older siblings to run around with – Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Given those close age gap between the royal siblings, they are likely to quickly form a close bond, with George the leader of the pack. And then there's the royal cousins, and the children of William and Kate's close-knit circle of friends, providing a ready-made posse of potential pals for the Prince or Princess to play with. Ahead of the arrival of the new royal baby, we take a closer look at some of the most likely members of their inner circle…

Lady Iris Cholmondeley

Lady Iris is the two-year-old daughter of William and Kate's Norfolk friends, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley and Marchioness Rose. The couple live in Houghton Hall, located just a few miles from the Sandringham Estate, with their three children; twins Lord Alexander and Lord Oliver, born in October 2009, and Lady Iris, who arrived in March 2016 – just two months before the birth of Princess Charlotte.

Max Goldsmith

Max is the youngest child of Zac and Alice Goldsmith, née Rothschild, who are good friends of the Cambridges. The little boy was born in January 2017, a younger brother for the couple's daughter Dolly Goldsmith, who will be five in July – just like her little pal, Prince George.

Arlo Goldsmith

Arlo is the seven-month-old son of Jemima and Ben Goldsmith – the younger brother of Zac Goldsmith and Jemima Khan. Ben was in the year above Prince William at school and is now a committed environmental campaigner. His wife Jemima, meanwhile, owns a catering company, Tart London – perfect for those royal birthday parties!

Cienna Finch

Little Cienna is the 11-month-old daughter of Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs – a close friend of Prince William and the founder of Beulah London, one of Kate's favourite fashion labels – and Rupert Finch, one of the Duchess' former flames. The couple, who are integral to the Cambridges' inner circle, are also parents to older daughter Georgia, who is good friends with Princess Charlotte.

Stella Tollemache

Stella, 11 months, is the daughter of Edward Tollemache, a longtime friend of Prince William and a godson of Prince Charles. Edward shares three children with wife Sophie - Stella, Oliver, five, and seven-year-old Ralph. Sophie and Kate are said to have become close ever since George started at Thomas's Battersea – Ralph attends the same school, and it's thought that the Tollemaches recommended Thomas's to the royal couple.

Lady Acony Lambton

Lady Acony's parents are Ned, Earl of Durham and his wife Marina, who is the sister of Marchioness Cholmondeley. The couple share three children together - Stella, born in October 2011, Claud Timothy, who was born in September 2015, and five-month-old Lady Acony – and are Kensington neighbours of the Cambridges.

Mia Tindall and the new baby

Mia Tindall, four, and her new baby brother or sister will no doubt become close friends of the Cambridge siblings, given their family connection and close proximity in age. Parents Zara and Mike Tindall are due to welcome their second child this summer – around three months after the royal baby's arrival – so expect lots of royal playdates in the not-so-distant future.

Maud and Isabelle Windsor

Also sharing a royal connection are Maud and Isabelle Windsor – the daughters of Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor. Maud, four, attends the same school as Prince George – Thomas's School in Battersea – and as such is already a classmate of the future king. Isabelle, meanwhile, was born in January 2016, just eight months after the birth of Princess Charlotte.

Willow Pelly

Willow Pelly is the only child of Prince William and Harry's close friend Guy Pelly and his Holiday Inn heiress wife, Lizzy Wilson. Guy and Lizzy, who have been married since May 2014, welcomed their daughter on 3 April 2017, making her almost exactly one year older than the new royal baby.