How Royals Announced Their Pregnancies, From Queen Elizabeth II To Meghan Markle

Kensington Palace announced the news this morning on social media with a statement saying: "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.

"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."

The news arrives five months after Harry and Meghan's royal wedding on May 19, 2018.

In December 2012, a spokesperson from St. James's Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expecting their first child. The news came nearly a year and nine months after the couple wed on April 29, 2011.

Kate's pregnancy news was revealed earlier than planned. She had originally wanted to wait until she was 12 weeks along (as Meghan did today), but the news ended up getting revealed about a month into her pregnancy, because she was hospitalised with severe morning sickness, according to The Telegraph.

A spokesperson said at the time: "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby.

"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.

"The Duchess was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in Central London with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter."

When the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant with her second child, Princess Charlotte, Kensington Palace broke the news with an official announcement on September 8, 2014.

Once again, her pregnancy went public before she had completed her first trimester, and it was revealed that she had acute morning sickness, according to The Telegraph.

"The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news that Their Royal Highnesses are expecting their second child," a tweet from Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, said.

Kate's third and latest pregnancy was announced on September 4, 2017 on Kensington Palace's social media accounts. The statement read:

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.

"As with her previous two pregnancies, the Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer carry out her planned engagement at the Hornsey Road Children's Centre in London today. The Duchess is being cared for at Kensington Palace."

She made her first appearance after the announcement on October 10 at a World Mental Health Day gala at Buckingham Palace.

The Palace announced Princess Diana's first pregnancy on November 5, 1981, less than four months after she married Prince Charles on July 29 that year. At the time, she discussed the news with the press, which "set a new mark for informality," People reported then. The magazine even called the couple's announcement "chatty." The Princess of Wales gave birth to Prince William on June 21, 1982.

The Palace announced Diana's second pregnancy (with Prince Harry) in February 1984, according to United Press International. Palace sources were quoted saying, "Both Prince Charles and Princess Diana are delighted by the news—as are the queen, Prince Philip and all the members of both families."

The princess announced her pregnancy relatively "early" and "talked openly about it and proudly displayed" her baby bump, People reported at the time.

The current sovereign announced her first pregnancy in 1948 with a remarkably vague message that only explicitly addressed that she'd be taking time off from royal engagements.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess Elizabeth will undertake no public engagements after the end of June," the statement said, according to The New York Times. She later gave birth to Prince Charles in November 1948.

Her second child and first daughter, Princess Anne, follow in August 15, 1950, according to BBC.

The monarch was in the middle of her visit to Canada in 1959 when she discovered she was pregnant with her third child, Prince Andrew, according to Canadian news outlet CBC.

Once she was six months pregnant, she announced she would no longer take on any official engagements, according to Vanity Fair. When she became pregnant with her fourth and last child, Prince Edward, in 1963, she also sat out of some of her engagements, according to The Telegraph.

The Queen's only daughter had two children, Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips (now Tindall) with former husband, Capt. Mark Phillips, whom she married in 1973. Their first child came in 1977, and their second child arrived in 1981.

Princess Anne broke tradition by giving birth in a hospital rather than in Buckingham Palace, and she did not give her children royal titles.

The Princess Royal, known for her savagely dry humor, infamously joked that pregnancy is "the occupational hazard of being a wife" and is "very boring."

Sarah, Duchess of York, announced she was pregnant with her first child with then-husband Prince Andrew in January 1988, People reported at the time. According to E! News, she was in a helicopter flying when the news was announced. The couple had married two years prior.

A spokesperson said that Ferguson was in good health and that the royal family was "delighted" by the news, according to UPI. In August that year, she gave birth to Princess Beatrice.

She became pregnant with her second daughter with Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie, in 1989, and welcomed her in March 1990.

Sophie and Prince Edward, who were married in 1999, announced they were expecting their first child with a traditional statement from the Palace.

"Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex are very pleased to announce that The Countess of Wessex is expecting a baby in December.The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and members of both families are delighted with the news," an announcement read from May 2003.

In November that year, she gave birth to her eldest with Edward, a daughter name Lady Louise Windsor.

In June 2007, it was announced that the Earl and Countess of Wessex were expecting their second child. The Queen and royal family were said to be "absolutely delighted" over the news, according to a statement.

The news was warmly welcomed, as the Countess had struggled with complications in previous pregnancies. She gave birth to their son, James, in December that year, according to The Telegraph.

Peter Phillips, the Queen's oldest grandchild, and his wife, Autumn, announced they were expecting their first child in July 2010, according to CNN. The news also meant the sovereign was bound to become a great-grandmother.

"Peter and Autumn Phillips are delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in December," a rep said in a statement at the time."The queen and the duke of Edinburgh, as well as Autumn's family, have been informed and are delighted with the news."

The couple, who married in 2008, welcomed their eldest, a daughter named Savannah, in December 2010.

Two years later, the couple announced that they had another baby on the way. The Palace confirmed the news in October 2011, once again stating that the Queen and the couple's respective families were "delighted" with the announcement, according to Hello!.

The duo welcomed their younger daughter, Isla, on March 29, 2012, according to Town & Country.

The daughter of Princess Anne and granddaughter of the Queen announced she and husband Mike Tindall were expecting their first child in July 2013. The couple was married two years before.

Per The Telegraph, the couple's families were "delighted" by the news. Zara was about three months pregnant at the time of the announcement. She gave birth to her daughter Mia in January 2014.

The Tindalls were originally expecting to welcome their second child in Spring 2017, but in December 2016, she unfortunately miscarried.

However, this past January, Zara announced she was pregnant again, per a spokesperson for the couple. The Queen and the royal family are "very pleased" about the news, according to a rep from Buckingham Palace.

The Tindalls welcomed their second daughter, named Lena, in June.