Harry and Meghan expecting first baby

The newly-wed couple arrived in Sydney on Monday ahead of a 16-day tour which will take in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

In a statement, Kensington Palace said: “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019.

READ MORE: Will the royal baby ever be monarch and will the child have dual citizenship?

“Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”

Harry and Meghan were wed at Windsor Castle in May and the news was announced on the eve of their first tour outside the UK and Ireland.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are said to be “delighted” for the couple.

Doria Ragland, the mother of the duchess, is “very happy about this lovely news” and “looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild”.

Harry and Meghan on their wedding day (Ben Stansall/PA)

The baby will be seventh in line to the throne, and the Queen’s eighth great-grandchild.

He or she will also be a first cousin of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Meghan and Harry on the Palace balcony with royals including Princess Charlotte and Prince George – who will be the baby’s cousins (Yui Mok/PA)

But the baby will not be a prince or a princess unless the Queen steps in to issue a Letters Patent ahead of the birth.

Speculation grew that Meghan was expecting when she wore a loose fitting Givenchy coat to Princess Eugenie’s wedding on Friday.

Both Harry and Meghan have spoken openly about wanting to start a family.

Harry and Meghan meet children during a visit to Star Hub in Tremorfa (Geoff Pugh/The Daily Telegraph/PA)

The topic cropped up in their engagement interview, with Harry, saying: “Hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.”

The pair are also known for their warm, caring approach when meeting youngsters on official visits.

Even the duchess’s father Thomas Markle, whom she is believed not to have spoken to since her wedding, said he expected children soon.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain in an interview a month after the duke and duchess married: “She’s wanted children for a long time and when she met Harry and she spoke about how much she loves him, there’s got to be a child in the making, somewhere soon.”

The couple at the the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada (Danny Lawson/PA)

The duchess found fame played Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits.

Harry, 34, and 37-year-old Meghan became engaged following a whirlwind 16-month romance after going on a blind date in London.

The prince has told how “all the stars were aligned” when they met.

“This beautiful woman just sort of literally tripped and fell into my life, I fell into her life,” he said when their engagement was announced last November.

They wed in a glittering ceremony in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, just five months ago.