Spain's Princess Letizia is expecting a baby girl. In an unprecedented move, the Royal Palace revealed the sex of her second child which is expected to draw a line under the succession debate which currently favours male heirs.
The child, who is due next May, will be the second daughter for the 34-year-old former television newscaster and her husband Crown Prince Felipe and the eighth grandchild for King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. It will mean a sister for Princess Leonor, who celebrated her first birthday on October 31 and is in line to inherit the throne after her father.
Spanish law currently states that if a son is born he takes precedence as the rightful heir. The govermnent have promised to repeal Article 57 which makes male succession a preference, but it had been a cause of concern that a male heir would be born before the constitutional reforms could take effect. The revelation that the newcomer will be a princess, however, means that Leonor is still set to become the future Queen of Spain.
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