Royal fans everywhere couldn’t be more excited about the impending arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first baby.
Kensington Palace made the announcement last night and already UK bookies are taking bets on what the baby will be called.
The happy news has come nearly five months to the day since Meghan and Harry were married at Windsor Castle.
With so many questions around the new royal-to-be, here’s everything we know so far.
When did they tell family?
Meghan and Harry attend Princess Beatrice’s wedding.
Meghan and Harry broke the news to the Queen and the rest of the royal family at Princess Eugenie’s wedding on Friday. The Queen was said to be “delighted” at the news.
“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 congratulated them in Friday at the wedding in person,” a Kensington Palace statement read.
Their announcement was reportedly quite low-key.
“They didn’t make a grand announcement but had conversations with their family and friends and told them their news,” a source told the Daily Mail.
Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, is “very happy about the lovely news,” the statement continued, and “looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild.”
She was reportedly one of the first to know about the pregnancy, and was most likely told in person when she visited Meghan and Harry in London last month.
When is the baby due?
According to the statement released by Kensington Palace, the baby is due in the UK Spring next year, which is Autumn in New Zealand.
Reports suggest the due date might be close to Prince Louis’ birthday on April 23rd.
Meghan is reportedly in ‘good health’, having had her 12 week scan just before flying out to Australia for their first overseas royal tour together.
Meghan’s pregnancy is classed as ‘geriatric’
Meghan’s age of 37 means her pregnancy falls in the ‘geriatric’ category. Any woman having a baby over the age of 35 is classed as a ‘geriatric mother.’ However Meghan is not the oldest royal to have a baby.
The Queen was 37 when she gave birth to her fourth child, Prince Edward, in 1964, and her granddaughter, Zara Tindall, was also 37 when she gave birth to her second child, Lena, earlier this year.
Edwards’s wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, was 38 when she gave birth to their first child, Lady Louise, in 2003 and 42 when she delivered their son James, Viscount Severn.
Where will the child fit in the line of royal succession?
Meghan and Harry’s baby will be seventh in line to the throne behind Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince Harry.
The new baby will bump Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, into eight in line.
Will the child get the title of prince or princess?
Not unless the Queen changes the rules. Instead, if they have a boy it will receive the title the Earl of Dumbarton. A girl would be called Lady (and her first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.
It is expected the child will also take the last name Sussex, the name Harry and Meghan have assumed since marrying and becoming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
How long have they been planning to start a family?
Both Meghan and Harry have been open in the past about their desire to start a family.
In their official televised interview after their engagement in November, Harry said they hoped to “start a family in the near future.”
During their first tour after their wedding, Harry was questioned in Dublin by a royal fan asking how many children he wanted.
“My husband also has red hair and he gave me five children – when are you and Meghan going to get going?” the woman cheekily asked, to which Harry laughed and responded “Five children? Too many.”
Meghan, too, has spoken about her plans to become a mother, telling Best Health Canada in 2016 that motherhood was “on her bucket list,” adding: “I can’t wait to start a family, but in due time.”
She also opened up to Lifestyle magazine, saying “I also dream to have a family. It’s all about balance, and I have so much happiness in my career and am fortunate to travel the world and see so many amazing things — it will also be nice to be anchored to something grounded and in the same place. Raising a family will be a wonderful part of that.”
Both Meghan and Harry have a way with children. Here, they inspire a young fan in Birmingham.
How did Meghan prepare for her pregnancy?
The former Suits actress reportedly enlisted the help of nutritionist and fertility specialist Melanie Brown to help her fall pregnant as soon as possible.
“Melanie was at Nottingham Cottage for around an hour checking Meghan’s vitals,” a palace source revealed in December last year. She was “looking into her health history and taking as much information as possible to devise a specialist diet for both her and Harry to stick to.”
Just don’t use the word ‘pregnant’ around the Queen
According to a report by US Weekly, the Queen apparently finds the word ‘pregnant’ to be vulgar. She prefers to use the term ‘in the family way.’
Will Meghan and Harry hire a nanny?
Meghan and Harry with Meghan’s mum Doria on a recent visit to London.
Meghan is reportedly not in favour of hiring a nanny. Instead, it is suggested that her mother, Doria Ragland, will assume a significant role in taking care of the baby.
She was recently spotted attending baby-care classes near her home in Pasadena, California, and according to reports in August, is planning to move to London to be closer to Meghan.
Where will the new family live?
Meghan and Harry will move into Kensington Palace Apartment 1 – right next door to William and Kate.
The newlyweds were previously living in Nottingham Cottage, a two bedroom home also on the grounds of Kensington Palace. It’s where Harry proposed to Meghan in November last year over a roast chicken dinner.
Their new home has just undergone a year long $1.8 million pound (NZD $3.6 million) renovation, with building work only just being completed at the start of this month.
While Nottingham Cottage was described as “snug,” Apartment 1 is anything but. With 21 rooms it will provide plenty of space for Harry, Meghan, their two dogs and of course, the new baby.
