Royal News: No Tours for Mommy Kate Middleton, Prince William This Year [PHOTOS]

It has been reported that the royal couple will stay away from the limelight and tours to focus on parenthood.

It will be a brand new world for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge come July, when the royal birth is set to happen. Since it is William and Kate's first born and marks the beginning of parenthood, the couple has decided to refrain from attending overseas tours so they can have a more "hands-on" approach for their child.

Shortly after their wedding in April 2011, the Duke and Duchess traveled to North America (US and Canada), and spent weeks in the Far East just last year. The royal couple's principal private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, has revealed details about Wills and Kate's plan to "lie low."

"I'm not anticipating the Duke and Duchess taking on overseas tours because of her baby," said Lowther-Pinkerton in a report posted by Mirror UK. The secretary added that it is "unlikely" that the couple will bring their newborn to overseas tours with them in case an emergency appearance is set.

It would be more than "unlikely" to happen, since William is all about the protection of her wife and child from unwanted publicity.

The couple has already had their share of intrusive paparazzi in the past, with photographers violating their privacy. One infamous incident is when the Duchess was photographed topless, during a vacation in the Provence, France.

After William has completed his tour duties as a RAF search and rescue pilot on September, he will spend most of his time attending to the needs of the Duchess and the royal baby.

If there will be "zero" royal tours this year, could it be expected that the "Kate Middleton effect" will take a huge dive as well? Will it affect the fashion industry's leg-up on what and who the Duchess wears?