Another royal baby is on the way, it was announced today. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “very pleased” that Meghan is expecting a baby in the spring of 2019, Kensington Palace said.

In a statement, Kensington Palace 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.”

There will be celebrations of the news at Wattisham, where Prince Harry served between May 2011 and 2014. It was with 662 Squadron, 3 Regt AAC that he was deployed to Afghanistan as a pilot between September 2012 and January 2013.

Suffolk army personnel who served alongside him took part in the royal wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Megan Markle in May this year.

Soldiers, a sergeant and an officer from Harry’s former Army Air Corps regiment lined the street outside the chapel at Windsor Castle where the royal couple said their vows.

Today’s news that the couple are expecting their first child came as they arrived in Sydney, ahead of a 16-day tour which will take in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, whose baby Prince Louis was born in April, were all today said to be “delighted” for the couple.

Doria Ragland, the mother of the duchess, is “very happy about this lovely news” and “looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild”.

The Duchess of Sussex once described motherhood as being on her “bucket list”, while the Duke of Sussex has often confessed he would love to have children.