THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting a baby in spring 2019, Kensington Palace has announced.

The newly-wed couple arrived in Sydney on Monday ahead of a 16-day tour which will take in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

In a statement, Kensington Palace said: "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."

Harry and Meghan were wed at Windsor Castle in May and the news was announced on the eve of their first tour outside the UK and Ireland.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are said to be "delighted" for the couple.

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

The baby will be seventh in line to the throne, and the Queen's eighth great-grandchild.

He or she will also be a first cousin of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

But the baby will not be a prince or a princess unless the Queen steps in to issue a Letters Patent ahead of the birth.

Speculation grew that Meghan was expecting when she wore a loose fitting Givenchy coat to Princess Eugenie's wedding on Friday.

Both Harry and Meghan have spoken openly about wanting to start a family.

The topic cropped up in their engagement interview, with Harry, saying: "Hopefully we'll start a family in the near future."

The pair are also known for their warm, caring approach when meeting youngsters on official visits.

Even the duchess's father Thomas Markle, whom she is believed not to have spoken to since her wedding, said he expected children soon.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain in an interview a month after the duke and duchess married: "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."

The duchess found fame played Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits.

Harry, 34, and 37-year-old Meghan became engaged following a whirlwind 16-month romance after going on a blind date in London.

The prince has told how "all the stars were aligned" when they met.

"This beautiful woman just sort of literally tripped and fell into my life, I fell into her life," he said when their engagement was announced last November.

They wed in a glittering ceremony in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, just five months ago.


Here is the low-down on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's first child:

  • Where will the baby fall in the line of succession?

Seventh in line. The baby will bump Harry's uncle the Duke of York into eighth place in the line of succession.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie move into ninth and 10th place, and the Earl of Wessex - the Queen's youngest son - drops out of the top 10 for the first time to 11th in line.

  • How will the baby be related to the Queen?

The baby will be a great-grandchild of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales's grandchild and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's niece or nephew.

  • Will he or she ever be monarch?

Unlikely. The baby will have three cousins Prince George - a future king - and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are further up the line of succession, so it is a safe bet that throne will stay on the Cambridge side of the family.

  • What will the baby be called?

William and Kate chose royal favourites for their children.

But will Harry and American-born Meghan go classic or break the royal mould when naming their baby?

If they stay traditional, something like Alice, Mary, Elizabeth or Victoria for a girl, and James, Philip, Frederick or Arthur for a boy are possibilities.

In the US, the most popular name for a baby girl is Emma and Liam for a baby boy.

  • Will the baby be a prince or princess?

No they will not be a prince nor a princess, nor an HRH because George V limited titles within the Royal Family in 1917.

  • So what will their title be?

A son would be known as Earl of Dumbarton - because a first son of a duke is allowed to use one of his father's other lesser titles as a courtesy title.

Harry was also made the Earl of Dumbarton on the morning of his wedding, as well as being given a dukedom.

A daughter would be Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.

  • But the Queen could change this?

Yes. The Queen stepped in ahead of George's birth to issue a Letters Patent to ensure the Cambridges' children had fitting titles, but this royal baby is much further down the line of succession.

  • Will Harry and Meghan hire a nanny?

Most likely. Harry has been close to all his nannies and it is likely he and Meghan will arrange for a nanny to care for their baby while they are on official engagements.

Kate and William have the help of their full-time live-in nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.

Meghan's close friend Jessica Mulroney had two nannies to help her with her twin boys and younger daughter.

  • When and where will the baby be born?

Kate had three successful deliveries at the private Lindo Wing in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, so Meghan might follow her sister-in-law's lead.

Harry was also born there in 1984. It is close to Kensington Palace and well practiced at dealing with royal births, and the publicity surrounding them.

  • Will the baby have dual citizenship?

Harry and Meghan could apply for their child to have dual US-UK citizenship.

Meghan is planning to become a British citizen - but it is not known whether she will hold dual nationality, and at present is still a US citizen.

According to the American Embassy in the UK, a child born outside of the US and in wedlock to a US citizen parent and a non US citizen parent, may acquire US citizenship at birth if the US parent lived in America for five years - two of which were after the age of 14.