We awoke to happy news this morning:
The Duchess of Sussex is Expecting a Child
Kensington Palace made the announcement this morning, as the Duke and Duchess are about to start their 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
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.
It is a very exciting way to start off a royal tour! There is a snippet of fresh video this morning from 9News Sydney showing Meghan and Harry taking a walk on the grounds of Admiralty House.
#BREAKING: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been spotted at Admiralty House. #9News pic.twitter.com/kN7xhnaa8i
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) October 15, 2018
In terms of concern health concerns regarding parts of the tour, Hannah Furness has more in her Daily Telegraph story:
The duchess, who turned 37 in August, will still visit Fiji and Tonga despite the presence of the Zika virus, with a spokesman saying they had taken medical advice.
Patricia Treble of Write Royalty reports on the health concern.
As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control state, “Zika infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects. Therefore, pregnant women should not travel to Fiji.” The CDC has an identical warning for Tonga.
Royal officials on the tour state that Meghan received medical advice before deciding to continue with their short visits to both nations. As well, her exposure to Zika-carrying mosquitoes has been reduced. She won’t accompany Harry to an early morning wreath laying at the Fijian war memorial or go into the Colo-i-Suva forest, now part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project..
More details about the news from Rebecca English in The Daily Mail:
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 walked down the aisle.
And it is due in late April 2019, possibly around St George’s Day, April 23, meaning the child could share a birthday with his cousin Prince Louis.
It turns out the senior members of the royal family were able to congratulate Meghan and Harry on Friday at Princess Eugenie’s wedding. It sounds like perhaps they were notified about the news ahead of the wedding but the wedding was the first opportunity to see the couple in person.
“The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted for the couple and were able to congratulate them on Friday at the wedding in person.”
The Palace also reports that “Ms Doria Ragland is very happy about the lovely news and she looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild.”
As many of you know, the loose cut of the Givenchy coat Meghan wore to Princess Eugenie’s wedding prompted speculation about the possibility she was expecting.
Camilla Tominey has more from The Telegraph:
.@CamillaTominey on the royal baby announcement: ‘Harry has always spoken quite movingly of his desire to have children’ https://t.co/8DyEF9oZHp pic.twitter.com/0TfMKnDGUe
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 15, 2018
The chatter continued yesterday after Meghan and Harry arrived in Sydney; the discussion basically centered on, “what could she be hiding behind those folders?”
The Daily Mail looks at Meghan’s recent wardrobe choices in this story. The Duke and Duchess have been vocal about wanting children. In their engagement interview Harry spoke about starting a family.
People has reaction in its story from notable names:
Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement: “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 Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who married the couple in St. George’s Chapel in May, also expressed his joy.
“Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their happy news! Prayers for them in the months ahead,” he said.
This comes from the Invictus Games Foundation:From the British Army: Max Foster at CNN shared a graphic displaying reactions to the news around the world.
From Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Twitter: And from the US Ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, also via Twitter: This will be the Queen’s eight great-grandchild. Baby Sussex will be seventh in line to the throne. We’ve had a few questions about the line of succession; here is the current list.
- Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
- Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, eldest child of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
- Prince George, oldest child of Prince William and Kate, the duchess of Cambridge.
- Princess Charlotte, middle child of William and Kate
- Prince Louis, youngest child of William and Kate
- Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, youngest child of Charles and Diana
- Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, second son of the queen and Philip
- Princess Beatrice, oldest child of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson
- Princess Eugenie, youngest child of Andrew and Ferguson
- Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, youngest son of the queen and Philip
We will continue updating as more information becomes available. Congratulations and all good wishes to the Duke and Duchess!
We’ll leave you with this quick overview of Meghan and Harry’s relationship via the UK Press Association.
From meeting in London to marriage in Windsor to expecting their first child: here’s the story of Harry and Meghan’s relationship so far pic.twitter.com/5wiSLlh7ub
— Press Association (@PA) October 15, 2018
LINKAGE:
- The Daily Mail’s story is here; The Daily Telegraph piece is here;
- Write Royalty’s story is here; People‘s piece is here; ABC Australia‘s story is here
- The Daily Mail’s piece on “Meghan’s Styling Tricks” may be read here; The Telegraph has a piece titled How Will the Duchess of Sussex approach maternity style?
Laura says
Congrats to both of them! I for one understand why they are continuing on with the tour in areas where Zika is present. The risk of Zika is so small, and I’m sure they are taking every precaution. There are plenty of risks during pregnancy just staying at home, so I’m sure they’ve done the risk/benefit analysis and decided representing the Commonwealth was worth it.
Lee says
Congratulations to the happy couple!
I’d like to point out that it borders on the absurd for people to be explaining how Meghan hid her bump when she hadn’t even reached her fourth month yet. Most people, including myself, do not start to show until they are in their fourth or fifth month. In fact, many women lose weight during their first trimester, due to nausea and extreme fatigue. I actually am always at my thinnest during my first trimester (and that’s without suffering from HG)! Therefore, Meghan surely had no need to disguise a baby bump, nor has she put on a maternity wardrobe yet.
Good luck to her on this grueling tour! The first four (yes, even the fourth month) months of pregnancy are more exhausting that is humanly possible to imagine, and I know all I want to do when I’m newly pregnant is stay in bed all day – if I pour a bowl of cereal for my husband I’m exceeding expectations! I hope Meghan has the strength and energy to complete this tour in an enjoyable fashion, and I also hope she takes plenty of time off and puts her feet up when she needs a break!
Good for her for sticking to the plan!
Julie says
Such great news!! I can’t wait to see her pregnancy wardrobe. I don’t understand why people would think she would be showing at 3 months. Most people I know that have had babies didn’t show until after 3 months…unless they were expecting twins like I did. I barely showed at 3 months. Just surprising at all of those comments. I wish the Meghan a very healthy and uneventful pregnancy.
Jackie says
Best news! And congratulations to The Duke and Duchess. Kudos to Duchess Meghan for her recent outing in Sussex in high heels no less! I hope Prince Harry packed his patience and that pregnant Meghan is even sweeter than non-pregnant Meghan.
I am wondering if she is having to change some of her wardrobe choices now. There is a report that Jessica Mulrooney and her husband will be joining them. Perhaps that is why Jessica is needed there to assist in the last minute changes?
I remember my own early pregnancy at 37yrs old where I could barely get out of bed and my appetite and mood was iffy at best. Nevertheless it was my first pregnancy and my husband and I cherished every moment. This is a big under taking for her so early in pregnancy. I know she will be very successful. Hope both her and harry will find time to enjoy this wonderful time in their married life. Once she is back I hope she will have time to share it with her mom in person. In any case Duchess, we are with you 100%.
Kiara says
I’m so happy and excited for them! Such great news! I know they have both spoken about how much they wanted to start a family, so I’m so glad for them that it appears that they had no trouble. I hope she will bow out of engagements on this tour if/when she feels tired or overwhelmed. Growing a human is exhausting by itself!! I am still a bit worried about the Zika virus thing, but I was worried about it even for my teenagers when we were traveling, so maybe I’m just a worrier.
Ava Pittman says
Welcome to Australia Harry and Meghan. The sun has come out shining for you both after much needed rain. Cannot wait for an exciting tour on our shores. Congratulations to them both. Harry is going to be an amazing father, he is so naturally gifted with children. He will finally get that family of his own he has so wanted.
Jessica says
Yaaaayyyyy! My daughter and I heard the news on NPR this morning as I was driving her to school, and we each let out a little shriek of delight.
I can’t imagine the conversations that happened around when to release the news–“Well, it has to be before we go to Australia because you won’t be drinking and also we need people to not get all up in your face, but oh gosh would it be horrible to let it out before Eugenie’s wedding, because we really don’t want to make her big day about us, oh look there is literally one day in between her wedding and our trip I guess that’s when we’ll do it.”
I think the DoS is going to have a *stunning* maternity wardrobe. Can’t wait!
Becky says
Congratulations to the happy couple! I’m so excited for Baby Sussex!
ElizaMo says
Many congratulations to the happy couple! I was taken by surprise as I never thought they’d go to places like Fiji if Meghan was pregnant and I trust all goes well.
I see you have linked to the Daily Mail piece about ‘cover ups’. I thought she looked pretty trim in her Hugo Boss leather skirt which was in clear view since she took the so-called disguising coat off.. The dress I thought gave rise to the most speculation was the royal blue Jason Wu worn to September’s gala concert. It hardly matters, of course, as long as the Duchess is well and thriving.
Maluhia says
Well I’ll be darned… I was basically “irritated” that Meghan wore such a loose jacket to the wedding because I thought ‘oh boy, here come the pregnancy rumors.’ But to find out that is actually why she wore a loose coat after all! Lol!
Excellent news! Congratulations to them!!! I can’t wait to see goofy fun loving Harry become a dad. I can just imagine him goofing around with his kids on the balcony and such.
LadyLeah says
Thrilling news indeed!!
Wow, she is quite the trooper. I was exhausted imagining their itinerary even before the thought of first trimester fatigue.
Also (and I hope I am saying this politely enough to get this posted) I really have been uncomfortable with comments of “her clothes are too baggy/not fitted enough”. Personal preferences vary, and now with this pregancy announcement, I hope it makes sense to people. Additionally, some people’s body shapes vary from breakfast to lunch, or time of the month. So this judgement of why do her clothes pull/drape/wrinkle/drape in an imperfect manner really bother me. Some people prefer wiggle room. And I appreciate that she is a human being, who walks, sits, leans, hugs, etc and that means mannequin standards of perfectness is largely unrealistic.
Jumping off my soapbox now.
So excited for this upcoming tour!!
Ella says
Ladyleah, I must admit I am one of those who expressed their dislike for clothes “too loose”. It makes sense now and I really apologize to Meghan – I completely understand now! I hope it might be a little excuse for me (and possibly others) that I really did not expect the baby announcement this year, with so much work and travelling planned! Well, kudos to Meghan for making it all possible at once with amazing grace and confidence! Wishing her all the best for the following months!
Ella
ElizaMo says
Agree with you about wriggle room! This certainly sheds light on all the loose fits over summer. But I can equally imagine she feels freed up from the body con thing because she no longer has to be selling herself as a tv star.
Brenda says
It’s very exciting and for anyone who thinks Meghan is an older mother, my mother had her children at 44 and 49 with natural conception. Meghan can easily have multiple children if they want them. I’m looking forward to seeing how she dresses as a very sophisticated pregnant duchess.
Amelie says
I don’t think this was a huge surprise since the coat Meghan wore at Eugenie’s wedding was a dead giveaway, plus I was wondering why she seemed to be wearing baggier clothing lately. Also this may be why she has been wearing more dark clothing than usual–to hide her bump! She is short and short people tend to show earlier. I imagine they did this now because at some of the events during the tour there will be alcohol present and with the media scrutinizing their every move it would have quickly become obvious Meghan wasn’t drinking. And that would have just fueled more speculation. I remember similar speculation to Kate when she was on tour only for her to drink wine or something which stopped the chatter.
Congrats to Meghan and Harry and kudos to her for doing such a jampacked tour! Isn’t the first trimester typically when women feel the most tired?
Fabulous says
Yes, and not just tired. Vomiting and/or severe nausea — needing to spit every 5 seconds. It’s not pretty. But, Meghan is 12 weeks along. That’s the start of the second trimester. She seemed fine the first trimester — lucky girl — so, she’ll likely have a great pregnancy.
ElizaMo says
I wondered if it explained the black outfits as well, only time will tell. They had little choice about the timing of the announcement for the reasons you say, and because she will soon start to show. Obviously no one can plan exactly when a pregnancy is going to start at the best of times!
RoyalWatcher says
Oh, it never crossed my mind that Meghan might be considered “short”; Harry is evidently tall so she might look that way next to him, but she doesn’t come across as particularly petite to me (possibly because I see a lot of small ladies in real life…). I realize her height wasn’t the main point in your comment, though.
Dale says
Actually, she’s 5’7”. Is that considered short?
Keturah says
Just for point of reference and how much pregnancy can vary by person, I am 5’ 7” and I didn’t look pregnant until I was around 5 months. I also didn’t have morning sickness or nausea. 5’ 4” is average in the US, at least per some charts. Hopefully hers is a pregnancy on the easier side. (Growing another human can’t really be considered easy, but it’s lovely she feels well enough to tackle the tour.)
SoCal Gal says
I knew it! I told my husband on Friday that I suspected that the Duchess was expecting! Congratulations to the parents-to-be. I’m glad to hear that she isn’t going into the forest on her tour of Fiji due to the Zika virus. I am looking forward to seeing her tour fashions!
Daisy Poltimore says
What a whirlwind weekend it has been! It was a surprise how quickly after Eugenie’s wedding they landed in Sydney and now this delightful news! I expected them to move quickly on this, but I’m still a little surprised an announcement has come at the start of such a big tour with so many ensembles to possibly alter and no idea how first trimester symptoms might affect her energy level. I thought a Christmas time announcement was more likely. Still, outfits can be dealt with and hopefully she’ll have some downtime scheduled in to rest as needed.
Bonnie says
WOW! The speculation and rumours were actually true. It seems exhausting that this tour has over 70 events scheduled. I’m sure, however, that Meghan wouldn’t be doing this without the go ahead from her medical team. I’m overjoyed for both of them. Like all of us, Harry and Meghan have had challenges in life. So glad they found each other and are very happy together. What truly wonderful news for the Royal Family and those of us who follow their journey!
Sg says
That’s fantastic!! What a happy surprise! Can’t wait to see what Meghan will wear to accommodate a growing bump.
Christina O. says
This has been a grand slam weekend of royal posts…Eugenie’s wedding, start of the Royal Tour and now the announcement that Meghan is expecting a baby in April 2019. Wow, what exciting news!
Congratulations to Meghan and Harry and I echo the words of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury who married them in May, my prayers will be with them!