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'Overjoyed' Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Are Expecting Their 2nd Child

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, seen here in last March, have announced they are expecting a second child.
Chris Jackson
/
Getty Images
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, seen here in last March, have announced they are expecting a second child.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they are expecting their second child.

"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," a spokesperson for the couple told Reuters on Sunday.

The couple did not say when the baby is due, or whether they know its gender.

Harry and Meghan were married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their first child, Archie, was born in May 2019. The couple announced last January that they would be "stepping back" from their duties as senior members of the British royal family.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace toldthe Associated Press on Sunday: "Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well."

A black and white photo of the couple taken by photographer Misan Harriman accompanied the announcement. The photo, which Harriman says was shot remotely by iPad, shows the couple outdoors in fair weather: Meghan resting her head in Harry's lap with her hand atop her pregnant belly.

In November, Markle revealed that she had a miscarriage in July, which she described as "an almost unbearable grief."

In addition to becoming the eighth in line for the British throne, the new baby would have an automatic right to American citizenship if born in the U.S. The couple bought a $14.7 million compound in California's Santa Barbara County in August.

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Laurel Wamsley is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She reports breaking news for NPR's digital coverage, newscasts, and news magazines, as well as occasional features. She was also the lead reporter for NPR's coverage of the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.