Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, went into labour early Monday, royal officials said.
The child, the couple’s first, will be seventh-in-line to the British throne.
“The Duchess went into labour in the early hours of this morning,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “The Duke of Sussex was by Her Royal Highnesses’ side. An announcement will be made soon.”
The baby will be the eighth great-grandchild of the 93-year-old queen, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, and could be entitled to hold joint British and American citizenship according to nationality rules.
However, the child will not automatically be a prince or a princess as any such title will have to be bestowed by the queen.
The royal couple has already made clear that information about the birth will be limited.
“Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private,” the palace said in an April 11 statement.
“The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.”
The pregnancy was announced on October 15, 2018 while the couple were on a tour in Australia.
