Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'We're having a baby!'

The Duchess of Sussex is pregnant and is due to give birth next spring, Kensington Palace has revealed.

The announcement came as Meghan, 37, and Prince Harry, 34, arrived in Sydney on Monday ahead of a 16-day tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Kensington Palace said the couple, who got married in Windsor five months ago, were "delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public".

Their baby will be seventh in line to the throne.

The Queen and other senior royals were told about the pregnancy on Friday, when members of the Royal Family gathered in Windsor for Princess Eugenie's wedding.

Meghan - who has had her 12 week scan - attended the wedding with Prince Harry, wearing a long, dark blue coat, which sparked speculation she could be expecting.

Image copyright EPA

That speculation intensified when she was seen clutching two large folders in front of her stomach as she arrived in Sydney for the tour, which will also take in Fiji and Tonga.

It is their first official royal tour since their wedding, which also took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor.

Their first engagement is on Tuesday, when crowds of wellwishers are expected to congratulate the couple.

The duke and duchess follow in the footsteps of Prince Harry's parents - Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales - whose first royal tour was to Australia and New Zealand.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The couple landed in Australia on Monday morning

Image copyright PA Image caption Meghan married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in May

Their baby will be a first cousin of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - but will not be a prince or princess themselves unless the Queen steps in ahead of the birth.

Royal biographer Robert Hardman said the children will be lord and lady "like the children of any other duke", because Prince Harry is not in the direct line of succession.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall are all said to be "delighted" for the couple after learning of the pregnancy at Friday's wedding.

Who's the cutest of all?

And the mother of the duchess, Doria Ragland, is "very happy about this lovely news" and "looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild".

Prime Minister Theresa May has also congratulated the couple, saying: "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."

UK journalists in Australia for the royal tour were told the news by phone from London shortly after their arrival, as shown in a photograph from royal expert Emily Nash.

There are not expected to be any changes to the itinerary for their trip, despite the duchess's pregnancy. They have taken advice about the risk of the Zika virus in the Pacific Islands.

The virus is linked to severe birth defects and was declared as a global medical emergency by the World Health Organization in 2016.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list Fiji and Tonga as "areas with risk of Zika infection". Ideally, pregnant women should not travel to these areas but, if they do, they should talk to their doctor first and take measures to prevent mosquito bites.

Analysis: Meghan's 'pregnancy tour'

By Jonny Dymond, BBC royal correspondent

Nothing changes, said the Palace, the tour goes on as normal.

And in a strictly literal sense they are right - none of the 70-odd planned engagements will be cancelled.

Fiji and Tonga will still be part of the tour despite the doubts some have about pregnant travellers visiting, because of concerns over the Zika virus. Medical advice, says the Palace, has been taken.

But in another sense, everything has changed.

This is now the duchess's pregnancy tour - every step of the way she will be greeted with a new level of excitement and with some degree of concern.

This was always going to be a high-profile tour - the news about the duchess's pregnancy will ratchet up the interest and the crowds.

Bookmakers said they had already received bets on the baby's name, with Diana, Victoria and Alexander among the early favourites.

'Bucket list'

Harry and Meghan had not made a secret of their desire to have a child.

She had said, in a 2016 interview, that becoming a mother was on her "bucket list", while Harry said in their engagement interview: "You know, I think one step at a time, and hopefully we'll start a family in the near future."

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The duke and duchess made an official visit to Sussex earlier this month

And on a trip to Belfast in March, two months before their wedding, the couple were shown a range of products for newborns, including a baby bath.

"I'm sure at some point we'll need the whole (lot)," Meghan had said at the time.

Image copyright PA Image caption The duchess was shown a new range for newborns while on a trip to Belfast in March

Harry and Meghan met on a blind date, arranged by a mutual friend, and got engaged 16 months later. The duchess had first found fame as an actress, playing Rachel Zane in US legal drama Suits, but gave up her career when she got married.

Congratulations have poured in for the couple from around the world. Among those expressing their delight was Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who officiated at their wedding.</s>Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle, is pregnant

LONDON (AP) — Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle, is pregnant.</s>Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are expecting their first child! Kensington Palace confirmed the news on Monday, October 15.

"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," the palace posted to both Twitter and Instagram on Monday morning. "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."

Kensington Palace also posted a photo of Markle and Prince Harry at their recent visit to the Joff Youth Centre in Sussex along with this announcement. Check out the messages on both Twitter and Instagram for yourself, below:

Naturally, the Internet is doing backflips over this news. Soon after Kensington Palace confirmed everything, #RoyalBaby started trending on Twitter, along with "Meghan Markle," "Prince Harry," and "Sussex."

This news is coming just days after Princess Eugenie's wedding, where Markle was the subject of unfair speculation after she wore a coat many thought was covering up a baby bump. It should go without saying that even though Markle is pregnant, making assumptions based on a woman's appearance is never OK.

It's been quite the year for Markle and Prince Harry, who married in May and have made a steady stream of appearances since then. The couple's first royal tour officially begins tomorrow, October 16, with a stop in Sydney.

Congratulations to the duke and duchess of Sussex!

Meghan Markle Is Taking Her Best Friend on Her Royal Tour of Australia

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Were All About the PDA at Princess Eugenie's Royal Wedding

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Moving Into Kensington Palace</s>LONDON, England — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant with her first child, the UK’s royal family has announced.

A statement from Kensington Palace said the baby is expected in the spring of 2019. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II will be the child’s great-grandmother.

The Queen and other members of the royal family congratulated Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, on Friday as they gathered in Windsor for Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank, a royal source said Monday, without specifying whether the parents-to-be broke the news at their cousin’s wedding.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted for the couple, Kensington Palace said in a statement.

Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, “is very happy about this lovely news and she looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild,” the statement added.

The baby will be seventh in line to the British throne after Prince Charles, Prince William and his three children and Prince Harry.

The announcement comes five months after the couple wed in a starry ceremony at Windsor Castle. Harry and Meghan had just touched down in Australia for their first overseas tour as a married couple when the news broke.

The tour coincides with the third Invictus Games, an international sports competition Harry founded in 2014 for wounded veterans and members of the military, which kicks off Saturday.

Most of their two-week tour will be spent in Australia, where they’ll meet with locals and focus on youth leadership projects — Harry was recently named Commonwealth Youth Ambassador — but also stop by some of the sights, including Bondi Beach and the Sydney Opera House.

They will also visit New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.

Harry is already a fond uncle to his brother Prince William’s three children with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and godfather to the offspring of several of his friends.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated the royal couple in a Twitter post on Monday morning.

“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,” she wrote.

Related: Harry and Meghan – from blind date to ‘I do’

Megan, 37, and Harry, 34, had previously expressed their desire for a family in an interview shortly after their engagement was announced in November 2016. When asked about children, Harry said they planned to take things “one step at a time, and hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.”

Two months earlier, at an official engagement in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Meghan joked while looking at innovative baby products, “I’m sure at some point we’ll need the whole lot.”

Harry is known for his longstanding charitable work on behalf of children and young people.

He and the Duchess attended the WellChild Awards together on September 4, when they helped mark the achievements of seriously ill children and their families in Britain. Harry has been patron of the WellChild charity since 2007.

In 2006, Harry co-founded Sentebale, a charity that helps some of the most vulnerable children in Lesotho and Botswana.

Royal photographer Chris Jackson told CNN in May that some of his favorite pictures of the prince were taken in Lesotho as Harry spent time with the children being supported by Sentebale.

“It’s somewhere he feels very relaxed,” Jackson said. “And kids certainly get excited about seeing him. He connects with them in a very unique way.”</s>LONDON — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — are expecting a baby this spring, Kensington Palace announced Monday as the couple began a tour of Australia.

The baby will be seventh in line to the throne. 

 

 "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 palace said in a statement.

The duke and duchess are in Sydney for their first official tour since getting married five months ago. In addition to Australia, they will visit Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.</s>CNN — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant with her first child, the UK’s royal family has announced.

A statement from Kensington Palace said the baby is expected in the spring of 2019. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II will be the child’s great-grandmother.

The announcement comes five months after Meghan wed Prince Harry in a starry ceremony at Windsor Castle. The pair had just touched touched down in Australia for their first overseas tour as a married couple when the news broke.

The tour coincides the third Invictus Games, an international sports competition Harry founded in 2014 for wounded veterans and members of the military, which kicks off Saturday.

Most of their two-week tour will be spent in Australia, where they’ll meet with locals and focus on youth leadership projects — Harry was recently named Commonwealth Youth Ambassador — but also stop by some of the sights including Bondi Beach and the Sydney Opera House.

They will also visit New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.

Harry is already a fond uncle to his brother Prince William’s three children with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and godfather to the offspring of several of his friends.</s>Meghan Markle is pregnant with her first child, Kensington Palace has announced.

The 37-year-old actress married Prince Harry on May 19 this year.

In a statement, Kensington Palace announced they were "very pleased" with the news and that the baby is expected to arrive in the spring.

The statement read: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are 'very pleased' that Meghan is expecting a baby in the spring of 2019."

It has not yet been confirmed but it is believed that the Duchess is roughly 12 weeks into her pregnancy.

The Duchess of Sussex once described motherhood as being on her "bucket list", while the Duke of Sussex has often confessed he would love to have children.

On a trip to Belfast less than two months before the big day, the bride-to-be joked when she was shown a range for newborns: "I'm sure at some point we'll need the whole (lot)."

People suspected that Meghan may be pregnant after rumours circulated after Princess Eugenie's wedding on Friday.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex more than 40 other royals for the princess' wedding at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle - the same place where they married in May.

But while they attended the lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel , they missed a big part of Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's celebrations.

The couple, who married at the same 15th Century chapel just five months ago, reportedly did not attend the 'wild' wedding after-party on Friday night.

The tequila-fuelled party took place at the Duke of York’s residence, the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, with guests partying until the early hours of the morning.</s>Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are expecting their first child this coming spring, Kensington Palace announced Monday.

"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," the palace wrote in a tweet.

"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," a second tweet said.

Speculation as to whether Markle was pregnant rose lately, fueled in part by reports that she would not visit Fiji during the international tour she and Harry embarked on Monday.

The news came as the pair arrived in Australia for their international tour — their only one since they married in May, with the exception of a two day trip to Ireland.</s>When is spring? Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's due date revealed as Kensington Palace announce the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting first baby MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry are expecting their first baby, but when is their due date?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are expecting their first child via Kensington Palace.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are expecting their first baby together, five months after getting married at Windsor Castle.

Meghan, 37, and Prince Harry, 34, have revealed they have a due date of spring 2019.

Kensington Palace posted on Twitter: "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."

But when is spring? In the United Kingdom, spring officially starts – according to the meterological calendar – at the beginning of March and ends on 31 May.

However, if you look at the astronomical calendar, spring doesn't officially start until 20 March and ends in June.

Therefore, the Duchess of Sussex will give birth between March and June 2019.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are currently on an official royal tour of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

They announced they were expecting a baby after landing in Sydney for the start of their trip.</s>Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are expecting a baby in the spring of 2019, they announced on Monday as they began a Pacific tour.

“The 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 Kensington Palace residence said in a statement.

“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 said.

Harry and Meghan, a former US actress, wed in a fairytale setting at Windsor Castle on May 19.

The two royals touched down in Sydney on Monday, kicking off a bumper Pacific tour that is their first major outing abroad as a couple.

Their official visit, lasting more than a fortnight, will take in multiple stops in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand — all members of the Commonwealth of predominantly former British colonies.

Meghan, 37, made her name in acting as savvy para-legal Rachel Zane in the US television legal drama “Suits”.

In her first solo charity project since the wedding, she launched a cookbook in September in support of families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in London.

The duchess wrote the foreword to the recipe collection entitled “Together: Our Community Cookbook”, produced by women who suffered from the fatal blaze.

The June 2017 fire in a 24-storey residential block killed 71 people and left many more living in temporary accommodation.

Meghan’s every smile, step and wave has been scrutinised by royalty watchers curious to see how the mixed-race American actress will perform in her new role.

She is adored by the public and shadowed at every appearance by the press.

British media last month commented on her closing her own car door at her first solo engagement — the opening of an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

The gesture was interpreted as a sign that Meghan remained a down-to-earth woman without pretences, despite being married to the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II.
Kensington Palace announces that Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first child.