Valentine’s Day surprise! Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they’re expecting baby number two delighting royal-watchers and fans of the unconventional nobles. As if the date they chose for the announcement was not sweet enough, it appears intentionally chosen to tribute Harry’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
“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 said in a statement, with similar thoughts being expressed from Buckingham Palace.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry surprise royal-watchers with Valentine’s Day pregnancy announcement!
“Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, and the entire family are delighted and wish them well,” a spokesperson for the Palace said.
Archie’s younger sibling will be the fifth grandchild for Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. Interestingly enough, the little one already has an association with his grandmother! Princess Diana announced her pregnancy with Harry on Valentine’s Day, in 1984. 37 years later and the connection feels bittersweet.
A photo taken by the couple’s friend Misan Harriman followed soon after the announcement. The stunning black and white image shows the happy couple staring happily at one another. Their smiles speak volumes. Unlike other photos that generally accompany royal baby announcements, this one looks casual and unburdened.
Diana’s pregnancy announcement was actually made late the previous day, Page Six reports, with the time difference allowing The Post to beat UK papers and run the story on its front page on February 13 that year.
A touching tribute announcing for the Sussexes to announce their exciting news on #ValentinesDay❤️ It was exactly 37 years ago that Princess Diana shared with the world that she was pregnant with Prince Harry. pic.twitter.com/NQfUiw62Sc
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) February 14, 2021
Baby Sussex will be eighth in line to the throne behind big brother Archie, who turns two in May, and their 36-year-old dad Harry, who is sixth in line to the throne.
While we are excited about this news, we must point out that the little one will be a rainbow baby for the couple. It comes a few months after Markle wrote of her “almost unbearable grief” after suffering a miscarriage in July 2020.
RELATED: Meghan Markle Reveals She Had A Miscarriage This Past Summer
“Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she wrote in the honest and heartbreaking New York Times essay.
Meghan and Harry have been settling into life in their new home of Montecito after moving to California in mid-March. They have been quietly focused behind the scenes on further developing their new foundation Archewell amid the rapidly changing times we all find ourselves in.
We are thrilled to see Markle with a baby bump again after all that she’s been through in the few short years she has been with Prince Harry. Mazel tov!