Royal Baby: Princess Kate & Prince William Expecting Third Child
Princess Kate is pregnant again!
Kensington Palace has announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child.
In a statement released on Monday morning (Sept. 4), the royal family expressed their joy at the news.
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child,” the statement read, according to The Guardian.
“The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.”
The royal couple already has two young children, Prince George, age 3, and Princess Charlotte, age 2.
During her first two pregnancies, Kate, 35, suffered a severe form of morning sickness, known as hyperemesis gravidarum. Kensington Palace confirmed that the duchess is again suffering from the condition and has canceled an appearance at a London children’s center that was scheduled for Monday.
In its most severe forms, hyperemesis gravidarum requires treatment with IV fluids, nutrients, and medications. Kate became so ill with the condition when she was carrying Prince George that she was admitted to the hospital. At the moment, she is being cared for by Kensington Palace physicians.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child pic.twitter.com/DZCheAj1RM
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 4, 2017
The Guardian reports that Kate will likely give birth to her third baby at the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where she went for her first two deliveries. The new baby will be fifth in line to the throne – bumping Prince Harry down to sixth place.
If the baby is a boy, he will not leap over his sister Charlotte in the line to succeed Queen Elizabeth on the throne. As the BBC explains, the royal succession laws were changed in 2011 to allow male and female heirs equal rights to the throne.
Under previous rules–which were written more than 300 years ago–the heir to the British throne had to be the first-born son of the king or queen. A princess would ascend to the throne only if the monarch had no sons. Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, had no male heirs, so she inherited the crown in 1952.
Princess Kate’s pregnancy is not the only big news for the royal family this week. According to People, Kate and William are planning to take Prince George to his first day of school at South London’s Thomas’s Battersea on Thursday (Sept. 7).
[Featured Image by Stephen Lock – Pool/Getty Images]
