Duchess of Sussex, who is on tour in
Australia with her husband, is due to give birth next spring
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are expecting a baby next spring.
A statement from
Kensington Palace said: “Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”
The couple are on tour in Australia.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were said to be “delighted” for the couple.
Doria Ragland, the duchess’s mother, said she was “very happy about this lovely news” and “looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild”.
The British prime minister, Theresa May, said: “My warmest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the happy news they are expecting a baby in the spring. Wishing them all the best.”
The duchess once described motherhood as being on her “bucket list”, while her husband has often spoken of his desire to have children.
On a trip to Belfast less than two months before she got married, the duchess – then
Meghan Markle – joked when she was shown an innovative range of baby products: “I’m sure at some point we’ll need the whole (lot).”
And in an interview in 2016, she said: “I can’t wait to start a family, but in due time.”
The topic of children also cropped up in the couple’s engagement interview.
Prince Harry said: “You know, I think one step at a time, and hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.”
In 2015, before the couple met, he had said: “Of course I would love to have kids right now but there’s a process that one has to go through.
“Hopefully I’m doing all right by myself. It would be great to have someone else next to me to share the pressure, but you know, time will come and whatever happens, happens.”
The duchess’s father, Thomas Markle, had said he expected the royal couple would want to try for children soon.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain in an interview a month after the wedding: “She’s wanted children for a long time and when she met Harry and she spoke about how much she loves him, there’s got to be a child in the making, somewhere soon.”
Google said searches for “when is spring?” had spiked suddenly following the announcement that Harry and Meghan were expecting a child during the season.
Within minutes of the news being announced, bookmakers were offering odds on the baby’s name, with Diana, James, Arthur and Victoria emerging as the early favourites.
The news was welcomed by the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison who tweeted: