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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'overjoyed' as duchess pregnant with second child

Watch: Harry and Meghan set to welcome new baby

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have confirmed she is pregnant with their second child.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared the royal baby news on Sunday evening, along with a new black and white image of the couple.

It comes after the duchess shared the heartbreak of a miscarriage last summer.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex: “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.”

The photograph shows Meghan's growing bump as she lies downs with her head on Harry's lap in a garden.

The picture was taken at a distance by their friend Misan Harriman.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 25: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Toby Melville/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Harry and Meghan with Archie in South Africa in 2019. (Toby Melville/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
The couple shared a new image to confirm the duchess's pregnancy. (Misan Harriman)
The couple shared a new image to confirm the duchess's pregnancy. (Misan Harriman)

Tweeting the image, Harriman wrote: "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!"

Meghan, 39, shared her grief last year after she suffered a miscarriage, explaining that she asked herself how she and her husband would heal.

The duchess, who now lives in her home state of California with Prince Harry, said: “I dropped to the floor with him [Archie] in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.

“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.

“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.”

Watch: Royal experts comment on Harry and Meghan's new baby announcement

The news of the second child for Meghan and Harry also follows Harry's cousin's baby joy - Princess Eugenie gave birth to her first son on 9 February, though details of his name have not yet been released.

And Harry's cousin Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne, is also pregnant.

It means that the Queen will reach 11 great-grandchildren by the end of 2021.

Harry, 36, and Meghan have one son, Archie, who was born in May 2019.

They declined the offer of a royal title for him, and his full name is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. It is more than likely they would not take a royal title for their second child, as they have stepped back as working members of the Royal Family.

The couple took Archie with them on their royal tour in South Africa in September and October of the same year, but they then went to Canada for an extended break over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The couple hosted and moderated talks with people who are working in the digital space. (TIME)
The couple hosted and moderated talks with people who are working in the digital space. (TIME)
LONDON - FEBRUARY 12: Princess Eugenie of York departs the Portland Hospital for Women on February 12, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Princess Eugenie was safely delivered of a son today, 9th February 2021, at 0855hrs at The Portland Hospital. This is Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's first child, The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York's first grandchild, and the ninth great-grandchild for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Eugenie left hospital with her newborn on 12 February, after confirming his arrival on 9 February. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Read more: Everything you need to know about the Queen's 17 grandchildren and great-grandchildren

He has not been back to the UK since then, as the couple decided not to bring him with them on their final engagements as senior royals.

The duke and duchess's announcement comes swiftly after Meghan's success in court earlier this week, after she won her privacy claim against the Mail On Sunday over the paper's use of a letter she wrote to her father, soon after her wedding to Harry.

Meghan had written to her father of her heartbreak as he continued to take press interviews and missed her phone calls.

Extracts from the letter were printed in the Mail On Sunday and on the MailOnline, but a judge ruled this week that doing so breached Meghan's privacy.

The judge, Justice Warby, also ruled the publishers, Associated Newspapers Ltd, were in breach of copyright, though there may be some further details to iron out on that ruling.

ANL insisted the help the duchess received from staff members at the palace constituted joint copyright, which might be explored at a trial at a later date.

However the duchess called the ruling in her favour a "comprehensive win".

The couple have made California their new home since March 2020, buying their own home in Santa Barbara in the summer. They have signed deals with Spotify for podcasts and Netflix for shows, and documentaries, under their Archewell branding.

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