Catherine Hill, the antenatal guru who prepared the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the birth of their first child, Prince George, has died at the age of 74.

The news was reported by the media on Wednesday morning, leaving the royal couple saddened.

Mrs Hill's death was confirmed by a spokesperson for her family, who said that she “will be achingly missed.

Her feisty, amusing, straightforward demure won her many friends.”

Mrs Hill started her antenatal classes in 1935, with the aim of helping pregnant women with teaching about biology and the reality of giving birth with the help of diaphragms and models.

She gave private lessons to the royal couple ahead of the birth of Prince George at her West London home.

Due to security fears, Catherine could not attend Mrs Hill's public antenatal classes in 2013.

However, Mrs Hill held discreet classes for the Duke and Duchess at her home in West London.

Catherine reportedly visited her twice for advice in the run-up to welcoming George, while Prince William accompanied his wife on one occasion.

One of the most important tasks that William learned in the run-up to George's birth almost nine years ago was the tricky task of fitting a baby seat into the back of a car.

In an interview with The Telegraph shortly before the birth of George, Mrs Hill revealed that the royal couple had visited her.

She described Catherine as a delightful girl, adding, “‘What you see is what you get.'

She also called the pair a very strong team, and said she was sure William would be doing the right stuff on the day when it came to Catherine giving birth.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge delighted the crowds the day after Prince George was born in 2013 when they presented him to the world's media outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington.

The couple spoke candidly about their new arrival, with Prince William joking that George already had more hair than him.

A few days after George was born, he was taken to Carol and Michael Middleton's home in Berkshire.

Prince William and Catherine are now parents to three children, George VIII, Princess Charlotte VII, and Prince Louis IV, with all three children being born at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London.

The Duchess serves as patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, while Anne, who has two children, is the patron of the Royal College of Midwives.

Catherine previously has been open in the past about life with her young family and what it's like raising children.

She has also opened up about suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes severe vomiting during her pregnancies.

Speaking during her first podcast interview, the Duchess said the illness meant she was not the happiest of pregnant people.

In 2020, she sat down with Giovanni Fletcher for an episode of the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast.

She said that having tried everything to overcome the illness, she realised the importance of mind over body and using hypnobirthing techniques.

Catherine joked, “I'm not going to say that William was standing there sort of chanting sweet nothings at me.

He definitely wasn't.

I didn't even ask him about that.

It was just something I wanted to do for myself.

I saw the power of it, really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that that they teach you in hypnobirthing.

When I was really sick and actually, I realised that this was something I could take control of.

I suppose during labour, it was hugely powerful.”

The Duke and Duchess will no doubt be saddened by the news of Mrs Hill's passing.

She played a big part in their very first pregnancy, and they have always spoken highly of her.