The Duchess of Sussex’s mother is “very happy” about becoming a grandmother for the first time.
Kensington Palace has revealed Doria Ragland is over the moon that daughter Meghan, 37, is expecting her first child with husband, Prince Harry.
A spokesperson said: “Ms Doria Ragland is very happy about the lovely news and she looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild.”
Read more: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce they’re expecting first child
Meghan is known to be very close to her mother, who was the only member of her family invited to the Royal Wedding in May.
Doria travelled with Meghan in her car to the wedding after flying in a few days before to meet the Royal Family.
In a rare break from royal tradition, Doria attended an engagement with Meghan and Harry, 34, in September.
She joined the couple for a function at Kensington Palace to support the launch of a charity cookbook backed by Meghan that raises funds for the community affected by the Grenfell Fire last year.
Doria introduced herself as “Meg’s mum” and spoke about her pride in her daughter.
It’s unclear whether Meghan’s father, Thomas, has been told.
Thomas did not attend the Royal Family after pulling out at the last minute due to ill health following claims he’d cooperated with paparazzi on set-up photos.
It’s not known whether Thomas has met Harry in person yet; he said in an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain in June their only contact to date had been via telephone calls.
In that interview, Thomas had predicted Meghan and Harry would announce baby news sooner rather than later.
He said: “She has wanted children for a long time. And when she met Harry she spoke about how much she loved him and so there has to be a child in the making somewhere soon.”
Kensington Palace announced Meghan’s pregnancy in a statement on Monday morning.
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. pic.twitter.com/Ut9C0RagLk
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 15, 2018
A spokesperson 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.
“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.”
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 Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 15, 2018
It’s believed Meghan and Harry shared their baby news with the Royal Family at Princess Eugenie’s wedding on Friday.
A palace rep said: “The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted for the couple and were able to congratulate them on Friday at the wedding in person.”
The baby will be seventh in line to the throne.
Read more: Viewing figures for Royal Wedding announced
Speculation that Meghan could be expecting her first child arose when she wore a loose fitting navy coat to Eugenie’s nuptials and did not remove it throughout the ceremony.
The confirmation came as she and Harry arrived in Sydney, Australia to start their first overseas tour as a married couple.
They will also visit New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji, with palace officials saying they had sought medical advice on their travel plans and would continue as they had planned despite the presence of Zika in Tonga and Fiji.
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