Prince William and Kate Middleton are having another baby! *throws party*
On September 4, 2017, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expecting their third child. Once again, the Duchess is suffering from severe morning sickness, or hyperemesis gravidarum.
Kate and William, both 35, already have two children, Prince George, born in July 2013, and Princess Charlotte, born in May 2015. Prince William is second in line to the throne, behind his father, Prince Charles. Prince George is third in line, Princess Charlotte fourth, and the future baby fifth. William’s brother, Prince Harry, will be sixth in line.
The news was announced by Kensington Palace, and both families (Middleton and Windsor) and the Queen (Elizabeth II), are said to be ‘delighted with the news’, according to the palace. Kate had been planning on attending an engagement at the Hornsey Road Children’s Centre in London, but was forced to pull out.
Like her previous two pregnancies with George and Charlotte, they were forced to announce the pregnancy earlier than they probably would have liked, on account that the Duchess has severe morning sickness for the third time. All three pregnancies were announced before the twelve week mark, which is usually when expectant mothers go in for the first scan.
Hyperemesis gravidarum affects about 1 in every 200 pregnancies, resulting in severe nausea and vomiting, with the top dangers being dehydration and weight loss. There is no cure for it, and if you have it in one pregnancy, then you have a higher chance of having it again in later pregnancies.
There is no constitutional significance for the birth that will happen next year, but the announcement comes at the time when events for the family are happening. Prince George will be starting school at Thomas’s Battersea, and it is the week following the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana Spencer, the mother of William and Harry, who died in August, 1997.
The child, who will be fifth in line for the throne, will unlikely inherit the crown.He or she will likely not become King or Queen. It is yet to happen in the current royal house, the House of Windsor. It has happened in the past.
William IV, who was the third child of George III and Charlotte, became King in 1830 and ruled to 1837. He was part of the House of Hanover.
Whether the child is a boy or a girl, it is still going to be huge, world-wide news. So all we can do is watch and start taking guesses as to what the name and sex will be. We won’t find out until the baby is born. It will likely be born in February or March.
So that’s some kind of excitement we get to hear about. Check back later for more baby news, since I get overly excited about British Royal Family news.
