The Queen has today congratulated Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as they announced they are expecting their first royal baby. Harry and Meghan told Her Majesty she would be having her eighth great-grandchild next spring during Princess Eugenie’s wedding at Windsor Castle on Friday.
Their happy news emerged after the couple were seen beaming as they touched down in Sydney for their first major international tour since they married in May.
Meghan, 37, is in ‘good health’ and has had a successful 12 week scan – suggesting that the baby was conceived in late July – just ten weeks after they married – and is due in late April 2019, possibly around St George’s Day.
Announcing their baby news Kensington Palace said today: ‘Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019. 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 Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have said they are ‘delighted’ to be welcoming their eighth great-grandchild in a joint statement with Prince Charles, who will have four grandchildren when baby Sussex is born next year. Prince William and his wife Kate also hailed his brother and sister-in-law’s good news.
Today Meghan and Harry flew in to Australia on a normal commercial Qantas passenger flight and chose an Airbus A380 – which has higher cabin pressure and half the cabin noise of other aircraft to ensure a more restful journey for the newly-pregnant Duchess.
And rumors she is carrying a baby went into overdrive as soon as the former actress got off the plane in Sydney because she kept touching her stomach and later covered her midriff with a folder.
On Friday Meghan also wore a suspiciously wide-fitting Givenchy coat to Princess Eugenie’s wedding in Windsor with husband Harry spotted repeatedly rubbing her lower back.
Last month her mother Doria Ragland was seen taking baby-care classes in Pasadena, California, and royal sources have said she may move to London to help look after the child because Meghan does not want to hire a nanny.
Ms Ragland today issued a statement saying she was ‘very happy at this lovely news and is looking forward to welcoming her first grandchild’- but Kensington Palace declined to comment on whether her estranged father, Thomas Markle, had been told.
Social media exploded as the news was announced at 8.40am UK time and some have named the child a ‘Brexit Baby’ – because it will be born shortly after Britain leaves the EU on March 29.
Meghan and Harry have started a 16-day tour of Australasia – but their trip to Fiji and Tonga next week will go ahead despite advice that pregnant women should not travel to the region because of its moderate Zika risk. The couple said today they had sought medical and advice and decided to go ahead with their plans. Meghan and Harry are embarking on their first proper royal tour together.
They were spotted walking hand in hand enjoying the grounds of Sydney’s Admiralty House – just after announcing their pregnancy Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traveled straight to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove’s sprawling harbourside residence in Kirribilli after touching down at Sydney’s airport.
The Royal couple arrived on a Qantas A380 flight from London via Singapore, for their first major international tour since their world-stopping nuptials.They shunned a private jet to travel on flight Qantas flight QF2 from London via Singapore.
The couple were in the first class cabin but non-royal passengers were also with them with one saying they were heard saying how ‘excited’ they were to be travelling to Australia, with them was their entourage of 10 staff members, including press secretaries and a hairdresser, and several more security staff.
Royal fans already suspected the Duchess was pregnant after she wore a suspiciously wide-fitting Givenchy coat to Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding on Friday. Many TV viewers were sure they could see a baby-bump beneath her long, navy blue coat as the Duchess was whisked into St George’s Chapel, Windsor by her doting husband.
The couple held hands when they arrived in Sydney early on Monday morning on a Qantas A380 flight from London via Singapore. Meghan was wearing her favourite Sarah Flint heels, which she teamed with the two tone coat she wore in a photo of her and Harry posing with the official 2018 Invictus Games flag last week.
Earlier she sparked a storm of pregnancy speculation after she touched down in Sydney clutching two purple folders in front of her stomach. Meghan Markle was seen holding the items in her right arm as she stepped off the plane on Monday morning with Prince Harry, leaving fans of the Royal couple guessing what information they could contain.
For many, the folders added to speculation Meghan Markle is expecting a baby, fuelling the fire already stoked by the large blue coat she wore at Princess Eugenie’s wedding last week. The couple returned to their own wedding venue at Windsor Castle on Friday but missed a lavish second day of celebrations on Saturday because of their flight to Australia.
