The royals are coming: Will and Kate to visit New York in December

William and Catherine are crossing the pond again -- the royal couple is heading to the Big Apple in December.

Let the royal photo ops begin.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be in New York from Dec. 7 to 9, palace officials announced on Friday. William, the second in line to the British throne, will also visit Washington, D.C., during the trip while Catherine stays in New York.

The stateside stopover marks the royal couple’s second trip to the U.S. since marrying in April 2011 and the first visits to New York and Washington, D.C., for the senior royals.

Wills and Kate, who are expecting their second child in April, last came to the U.S. as newlyweds in July 2011 when they stopped off in California after a tour of Canada.

It is unclear if their nearly 16-month-old son Prince George will be joining them as he did during their 19-day tour of New Zealand and Australia last spring.

Some highlights from their official itinerary include a visit to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and an NBA basketball game to launch a collaboration among the Royal Foundation, United for Wildlife and the NBA. William will also visit the World Bank in D.C. and the couple will cap off the trip with the University of St. Andrews’ 600th Anniversary Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

William has a become a patron of the Fife, Scotland-based institution, where he met his future wife in 2003. There the couple earned master’s of arts, his in geography and hers in art history.

During their stay, the 32-year-old royals are looking to promote the themes of the Royal Foundation and other charities. The engagements they have lined up address sustainable conservation issues, particularly the illegal wildlife trade, mental health, technology and creativity and inner-city youth development.

Upon arriving on Dec. 7, the couple will be welcomed with a private reception on behalf of the American Friends of the Royal Foundation. The royals will be accompanied by Peter Westmacott, Britain’s ambassador to the U.S., and Danny Lopez, the British consul general to New York, throughout the trip.

Pregnant Catherine had to cancel her first solo oversees trip back in September because of a bout with intense morning sickness. Wills took up the visit instead and headed to Malta to celebrate the island nation’s independence.

The duchess has been spotted out and about over the last few weeks as she’s returned to her royal duties. She attended a Remembrance Day ceremony over the weekend and visited an oil refinery with her husband.

Earlier this week the barely showing duchess stopped by a SportsAid youth workshop and the couple glamorously stepped out on Thursday for the Royal Variety Performance where they met with performers Ellie Goulding, Bette Midler, playwright Andrew Lloyd Webber and boy band One Direction.

But will they be riding the subway? Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.