Kate Middleton is pregnant.
St.JamesPalace issued the announcement today when the duchess was admitted to KingEdwardVIIHospital in central London with hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute morning sickness which requires supplementary hydration and nutrients. It tends to occur in the first trimester, between the eighth and 12th week of pregnancy, and affects less than 2% of women.
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby,” the palace said in a statement today. “The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.”
Because Kate is in the very early stages of her pregnancy, she will remain in the hospital for several days and after release will require several days of rest.
In comments to the BBC, British Prime Minister David Cameron reacted to the big news, “It’s absolutely wonderful news and I’m sure everyone around the country will be celebrating with them tonight.”
Thanks to constitutional legislation passed earlier this year, regardless of gender, their baby, who will be the queen’s third great-grandchild, could still inherit the British crown. Although to finalize the change in rules of succession, some law must still be amended and reworded, heads of 16 Commonwealth countries agreed to the change last year. Queen Elizabeth II was only eligible to be monarch because her father had no male children.
“Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen,” British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters in 2011.
Robert Lacey, author of the definitive book “Majesty” said, “The British public and indeed the whole world will be delighted for the same, it keeps the monarchy going. The royal wedding brought a magic back to the monarchy and people are fascinated by William and Catherine.”
Royal babies have typically been born within one year of marriage. Prince William was born only 11 months after Diana’s wedding and the queen gave birth to Prince Charles six days before her first wedding anniversary.
There has been huge speculation in recent weeks both in the U.K. and overseas as to whether the young royal, who married Prince William on April 29, 2011, was pregnant. Rumors increased during the couple’s recent trip through the South Pacific. Paparazzi began snapping close-ups of Middleton’s stomach looking for any indication of pregnancy. Any thing the duchess did or said, from declining peanut butter to holding a baby or getting a dog, showed potential for confirmation.
William, who is known for prioritizing privacy, will inevitably have to cope with the public’s interest in his child. “It is quite strange reading about it, but I try not to let it bother me,” Prince William said in an interview with ABC News’ Katie Couric in May 2012. “I’m just very keen to have a family and both Catherine and I are looking forward to having a family in the future.”
