The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are expecting their second child.
The couple, who live in the US where the baby is likely to be born, have shared a black and white picture of themselves, sat under a tree, with Prince Harry resting his hand on Meghan’s head as she lay in his lap cradling her bump.
A spokesperson for the pair said:”We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”
The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and the whole Royal Family are “delighted” and “wish them well”, according to a Buckingham Palace spokesman.
The news of Meghan’s pregnancy comes after the duchess suffered a miscarriage last July.Advertisement
Meghan, 39, revealed her heartbreak in November in a deeply personal article for the New York Times, writing: “I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.”
The duchess was widely praised by charities for sending a powerful message to others who have lived through the same trauma by speaking about the issue.
The black and white image that has just been released was taken remotely on an iPad by their friend, photographer Misan Harriman.
He tweeted the photo and wrote: “Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness this love story begin, and my friend, I am honoured to capture it grow. Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on this joyous news!”
Harry and Meghan’s new baby boy or girl will be eighth in line to the throne, just behind one-year-old Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
The couple have been hoping for a sibling for him. In 2019, Harry said he would only have two children for the sake of the planet.
The pair, who were married at Windsor Castle in May 2018, quit their roles as senior working royals in March 2020 as they sought financial freedom. They are no longer actively using their HRH titles and now live in Montecito, California.
Harry, 36, retained his place as sixth in the line of succession despite giving up royal life.
The new baby is allowed to be a Lord or a Lady, but, in keeping with Harry and Meghan’s wishes, will be a Master, like Archie, or Miss (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor instead.
Sky’s royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said of the pregnancy news: “This is being announced in a very different way from how we would usually expect with members of the Royal Family.
“They’ve decided to step away as senior royals so in some ways it’s allowed them to probably delay the news, delay the announcement in some way.
“Clearly they have decided that now is the moment to tell the world. There have been rumours about whether Meghan was expecting.”
The Valentine’s Day announcement came after the Royal Family celebrated the arrival of Princess Eugenie’s first child – a boy – last Tuesday.
Eugenie’s baby was born at London’s Portland – the same hospital where the duchess had Archie.
The new Sussex baby will be the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 10th or 11th great-grandchild depending on whether he or she arrives before or after Zara Tindall’s baby, which is also due in 2021.
Just days ago, the duchess won her High Court privacy claim against the Mail On Sunday over the publication of a “personal and private” handwritten letter to her estranged father.
In a statement after the ruling, American-born Meghan, said she was grateful that Associated Newspapers and The Mail on Sunday had been “held to account for their illegal and dehumanising practices”.
“These tactics (and those of their sister publications MailOnline and the Daily Mail) are not new; in fact, they’ve been going on for far too long without consequence.
“For these outlets, it’s a game. For me and so many others, it’s real life, real relationships, and very real sadness. The damage they have done and continue to do runs deep.”
The 39-year-old sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline, over a series of articles which reproduced parts of the letter sent to 76-year-old Thomas Markle in August 2018.
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