While the Royal Family celebrated the news that Kate Middleton and Prince William are expecting their third child, many parents across the country saw the announcement as a sign of a divide in British society.

Kensington Palace announced the pregnancy on Monday (September 4) , saying that the " the Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news."

However, for some parents the irony was not lost that the news comes in the same year that the government introduced a cap on the number of children struggling parents can claim tax credits on.

Parents can now only claim tax credits, which can be worth up to £2,780 per year for each child, for their first two children, Cambridge News reports.

It is estimated the cuts will affect more than half a million families across the UK by 2020, with the lowest-income families expected to be the worst off.

Social media was awash with people saying it is unfair that poorer parents get no help for a third child but that public money will help fund royal baby number three.

To some degree, there is an a issue with this argument as Kate and William aren't funded by the Queen's Sovereign Grant, which raked in £41.9 million in the 2016/2017 period.

The Cambridges actually receive their income from the Duchy of Cornwall, run by Prince Charles .

However, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry do both receive support from the Queen's Grant-in-Aid funding for assistance with official travel and property, which doesn't come cheap.

But they also have full-time military roles, for which they receive a salary.

There are a few exceptions to the rule of only claiming child tax credits for two children - regarding adoption, multiple births and kinship care.

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Another exception is if a single mum can prove she has been raped or was in an abusive relationship at the time of conception, then she will be excused from the ban.

The controversial caveat has been widely criticised ever since it was introduced in the Budget in 2015, and especially when it came into effect in April this year.

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