We're all thrilled here at HELLO! for Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, who are expecting their second child in summer 2023.
Buckingham Palace announced the happy news on Tuesday 24 January, telling the world: "The family are delighted and August is very much looking forward to being a big brother," said the Palace in a statement.
Eugenie shared the exciting news on her Instagram, writing. "We're so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer."
WATCH: Eugenie's son August waves in adorable clip
Eugenie's due date reveals that she will have fallen pregnant around autumn 2022, which was also near to the death of her beloved grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in September that year.
The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson would therefore have been dealing with a mixture of emotions over the past months - the joy of her second pregnancy but also the sad loss of the nation's monarch, who she was particularly close to.
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Given the dates, it's unlikely that Eugenie will have been pregnant or known she was expecting when her grandmother passed away, and she's bound to be feeling sorrow that she perhaps couldn't tell the Queen of her happy news.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Eugenie and her late grandmother the Queen
Following her death, Eugenie and her sister Beatrice released a joint statement, which read: "Our dearest Grannie, We've not been able to put much into words since you left us all. There have been tears and laughter, silences and chatter, hugs and loneliness, and a collective loss for you, our beloved Queen and our beloved Grannie.
"We, like many, thought you'd be here forever. And we all miss you terribly. You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those lessons and memories forever.
"For now dear Grannie, all we want to say is thank you. Thank you for making us laugh, for including us, for picking heather and raspberries, for marching soldiers, for our teas, for comfort, for joy. You, being you, will never know the impact you have had on our family and so many people around the world."
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Eugenie with her sister Princess Beatrice
Eugenie is surely feeling sad that her second baby will not have the chance to meet her royal grandmother, like her son August did.
Indeed, in June 2022, little one-year-old August attended the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations with his mother and father to help celebrate her special year.
The late monarch also joined Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank for August's christening in November 2021, which was held jointly with Zara and Mike Phillips' son Lucas at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor.
© Photo: Getty ImagesEugenie with her son August and husband Jack
Now, as Eugenie expects her second child, we imagine she has a bittersweet feeling as she comes to terms with the loss of her grandmother. It wouldn't surprise us if, should Eugenie give birth to a girl, she honoured the late Queen in her daughter's name – either as a first or second name.
The Princess' pregnancy will mean her child is the first royal baby to be born under the rule of King Charles, which is to be a significant moment. It will also be the first royal baby since Elizabeth II's passing, and we're certain the royal family will feel the sadness that comes with the joyous occasion.
MORE: Princess Eugenie shares brand new photo of baby August to celebrate special occasion
It is likely that Eugenie knew her second baby would not get to meet her grandmother, though.
In Gyles Brandreth's biography of the monarch, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, serialised in the MailOnline, he wrote that he heard that Her Majesty was battling a form of bone marrow cancer, called myeloma, and that she bravely faced the health condition during her final months.
In the book, he writes: "I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — bone marrow cancer — which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those 'mobility issues' we were often told about during the last year or so of her life."
Gyles was a close friend of the late Prince Philip, and he is likely to have heard the information from a member of the royal family.
We wonder if Eugenie had discussed her plans or hopes for another baby with the Queen before her passing, given their strong bond. Her Majesty was certainly a doting grandmother and great grandmother.
We wish Eugenie all the best with her pregnancy and birth of her baby.
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