Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle, 39, are expecting a second child, a sibling to their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, 1.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the news via an official representative, who said: "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."
Archie will turn 2 in May this year; the new addition to the family will be eighth in line to the British throne.
Tribute to Princess Diana
The announcement was made on Valentine's Day, which has been interpreted by many as a tribute to Prince Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana.
On February 14, 1984, it was announced that she was expecting a second baby, who would be born Harry. Thirty-seven years later, the couple have honoured Harry's parents with a Valentine's Day announcement of their own.
In February 1984, a Telegraph cover reported Queen Elizabeth II as being "delighted".
Yesterday, a Buckingham Palace representative echoed the response and said: "Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well."
The informal Misan Harriman photo
Accompanying the announcement was a black-and-white photo, shot by Misan Harriman, who is a friend of the couple's.
The image shows the couple sat outside with Harry's hand placed under Meghan's head as she lies on his lap with her hand resting on her bump. They are in the garden of their Montecito home.
However, British photographer Harriman did not fly over to Southern California mid-pandemic.
On his Twitter, Harriman said that it was a remote shoot, which was shot via iPad. Typically, in remote shoots undertaken by professional photographers, the subject sets up their iPad, then the photographer provides lighting and posing direction by video call. The image is then taken using a programme on the photographer's device.
Posting on social media, Harriman captioned it with a message almost as relaxed and informal as the image itself: "Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness this love story begin, and my friend, I am honoured to capture it grow. Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on this joyous news!"
In the photo, Meghan is thought to be wearing a Carolina Herrera dress, which she wore during her pregnancy with Archie.
Comparisons to 'Notting Hill'
The image has been compared to the scene at the end of Notting Hill, which shows Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts' characters sitting outside, with Grant's William Thacker sat up and a pregnant Anna Scott (Roberts) lying down.
The Richard Curtis film is, famously, about a Hollywood actress and normal Englishman who fall in love. Of course, as a royal, Prince Harry is not quite a "normal" Englishman, but the in last year, since stepping down as senior royals, the couple has made clear their pursuit of normality.
The moments leading up the final shot of Anna and William show a young red-headed white boy is chasing a little curly haired black girl in the park. Likely a coincidence, but that too has drawn comparisons to young versions of Harry and Meghan.
When will be baby be born?
After Princess Diana and Prince Charles made their Valentine's Day baby announcement, Prince Harry was born seven months later on September 15, 1984.
It is unlikely Harry and Meghan will have made their pregnancy announcement quite as early. With Archie, they announced their baby news on October 15, 2018, six and a half months before he was born on May 6, 2019.
It is likely that the baby is expected to be born in August this year.
Happiness following sadness of 2020 miscarriage
The announcement comes three months after it Meghan revealed she had a miscarriage months earlier in July.
Writing of her "unbearable grief" in The New York Times, Meghan described how she "felt a short, sharp cramp" on a July morning while she was caring for her son Archie.
"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second," she wrote. "Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd heal."
It was considered to be an extraordinarily personal disclosure coming from a high-profile British royal.
In 2019, Harry told primatologist Jane Goodall in that the couple only planned to have two children for the sake of the planet.
Goodall said: “Not too many,” and Harry replied: “Two, maximum.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGuillermo%20del%20Toro%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tim%20Blake%20Nelson%2C%20Sebastian%20Roche%2C%20Elpidia%20Carrillo%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The five pillars of Islam
EXPATS
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%207%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20%E2%80%93%203hrs%2029min%2042ses%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20%E2%80%93%2010sec%3Cbr%3E3.%20Geoffrey%20Bouchard%20(FRA)%20AG2R%20Citroen%20Team%20%E2%80%93%2042sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20Classification%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders%20%E2%80%93%2059se%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20%E2%80%9360sec%3Cbr%3ERed%20Jersey%20(General%20Classification)%3A%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EGreen%20Jersey%20(Points%20Classification)%3A%20Tim%20Merlier%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EWhite%20Jersey%20(Young%20Rider%20Classification)%3A%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EBlack%20Jersey%20(Intermediate%20Sprint%20Classification)%3A%20Edward%20Planckaert%20(FRA)%20Alpecin-Deceuninck%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Aston martin DBX specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Top speed: 291kph
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: Q2, 2020
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now