They had hoped that this time round, they’d be able to keep the happy news private for a little longer.
But Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William have again been forced to reveal that she’s in the early stages of pregnancy because she’s so unwell with extreme morning sickness.
The announcement was made when Kate had to pull out of an official visit to Oxford University because she was suffering from severe vomiting and nausea caused by the pregnancy condition hyperemesis gravidarum.
Prince William is thrilled to be expecting a sibling for son George.
William says while they are thrilled to be expecting a sibling for son Prince George, who turned one six weeks ago, it had been a “tricky few days” because Kate was so sick. “It’s great news, early days. We’re hoping things settle down and she feels a bit better.”
Prince Harry, attending another engagement just ahead of his 30th birthday, said his sister-in-law was “pretty poorly” but doing “the best she can”.
The announcement was made by Clarence House just hours before Kate was due to accompany William to Oxford.
According to some sources, the Queen and Prince Charles were informed about the pregnancy just hours before the formal announcement, and other members of the royal family found out at the same time as the public via social media and the news.
Cousins Mike Tindall and Zara reportedly heard the happy news via the radio.
Mike Tindall, who is married to William’s cousin Zara, joked, “I just sent them a message saying it was nice to hear the news on the radio!”
A delighted Charles also commented on the happy news during a visit to a Prince’s Trust project in London and even weighed in on the baby’s gender.
“I’m looking forward to it – but I hope it will be a girl this time,” he told well-wishers.
Even most of their staff didn’t know until the day before the news was released.
One palace insider says Kate and William had only recently found out about baby number two themselves. Kate was seen drinking white wine spritzers in a pub near their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, just 10 days before the announcement was made – suggesting she didn’t know she was pregnant then. The couple wanted to keep their news under wraps for at least another month.
“But when Kate’s sickness got very bad, they felt they had no option but to be open about her pregnancy much earlier than they would have wanted.”
Wills and Kate with a then newborn Prince George in 2013.
It’s a repeat of what happened when she was pregnant with Prince George, late in 2012. Then she ended up hospitalised for three days, but this time, so far, she remains at home.
The due date of the new royal baby hasn’t been revealed, although insiders say Kate is under the crucial 12-week point. Some sources say she’s around eight weeks.
The new royal will push Prince Harry down to fifth in line to the throne, but William’s younger brother says he’s delighted for his older sibling. Nevertheless, he couldn’t resist pointing out that George is apparently a very vocal baby who doesn’t let his parents get a lot of sleep.
The new royal baby will push Prince Harry down to fifth in line to the throne.
Harry teased, “I hope the two of them have the opportunity to go through the process again with a little bit of peace and quiet.”
In the initial response to the happy news, lots of well-wishers commented on social media that it would be lovely if the baby was a girl. However, many others noted that given the fact that there will be around 22 months between George and his sibling, and the close relationship between William and Harry – who is 27 months younger – it would be nice if the new arrival is a boy.
Bookmakers in the UK are taking bets on names, with Alexandra, Elizabeth, Diana and Victoria the top contenders for a girl, and James, Alexander, Louis and Henry the most popular if it’s a boy.
Interestingly, they stopped taking wagers on whether Kate was pregnant again two months ago after there was a surge of bets following reports that her friends were excited about “impending baby news”.
