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In news that will no doubt warm your soul this Monday morning, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have confirmed they are expecting their second child.
The Duke and Duchess confirmed the news via their representatives, with a gorgeous picture of the pair in their back yard, smiling as Meghan lies in Harry’s lap with her baby bump visible beneath a flowing dress.
Meghan and Harry are expecting their second child!
(The Duke and Duchess of Sussex)The new baby will be the pair’s second child, and eighth-in-line to the throne, after their first child Archie.
Now almost two-years-old, the pair had hoped to give Archie a little brother or sister for some time.
According to multiple reports, including a spokesperson who spoke directly to PEOPLE, the couple are “overjoyed” to be parents again.
“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,” they said.
The Duke and Duchess are said to be “overjoyed” by the news.
The pair’s gorgeous black and white image also has an unexpected story behind it – it was taken remotely via an iPad by a close friend and photographer, Misan Harriman.
In the picture, which shows Meghan’s baby bump quite visibly, the Duchess’ flowing dress is by Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera.
According to the spokesperson, the pair informed The Queen and Prince Philip, as well as Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland before announcing the news publicly.
It is likely that the pair will have their baby in the United States, which is where they have now moved after stepping back from their senior royal roles in 2020.
Harry and Meghan have moved to a new home in California’s Santa Barbara.
(Getty)The news comes just a few months after Meghan devastatingly announced that she had miscarried a baby last year.
In November, the Duchess of Sussex penned an incredibly powerful essay, recalling the moment she had lost her child in July that year.
In her first person piece, titled, The Losses We Share, Meghan said she felt a “sharp cramp” while changing her son’s nappy on what was an ordinary, unassuming day.
“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,” she explained.
“Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears.
Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”
The Duchess penned an incredibly powerful essay about loss, as she confirmed she had had a miscarriage.
(Getty)She continued to talk about the number of women who also suffer miscarriage, though it continues to remain a taboo topic.
“In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.
“Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning,” she said.
Harry himself has talked about wanting to have a second child, with the pair hoping to have two kids together for some time.
Speaking to celebrated ethologist Dr Jane Goodall in July 2019, Harry talked about the effects of humans on the planet, saying: “I’ve always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children…” to which Jane interjected, saying: “Not too many!”
“Two, maximum!” Harry assured her at the time.
There’s also a strong chance the new baby will be a girl – something Harry has also expressed a desire to have.
Shortly after Duchess Meghan’s pregnancy with Archie was announced at the Sydney Invictus Games in 2018, the Duke of Sussex was attending the road cycling event when someone in the crowd called out to the red-headed royal, “Congratulations, I hope it’s a girl!”
And in his typical down-to-earth fashion Harry replied, “So do I!”
Well, we can’t blame him for being excited – and we’re sure this time around they, and their royal relatives are just as excited as well.
With Princess Eugenie having just given birth to her own son last week, and Zara Tindall also expecting her third in the British spring, it looks like 2021 really is the year of the royal baby.
