Prince Charles has opened up about the wonderful way he and the royal family celebrated Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal baby news. During a visit to Royal Lochnagar Distillery in Aberdeenshire, the future King sampled a 30-year-old malt and was asked if he had toasted becoming a grandfather again. "Oh yes, absolutely. Several times, thank you," laughed Charles.
The royal family were recently told about Meghan's pregnancy, but only had the chance to celebrate together on Friday at Princess Eugenie's wedding. The news was made public on Monday, just as Harry and Meghan were touching down in Australia to begin their royal tour.
Meghan makes first appearance since pregnancy news is confirmed:
A statement from Kensington Palace read: "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."
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The statement also noted that the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are "delighted for the couple". Meghan's mum Doria Ragland is also "very happy about this lovely news and looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild".
Harry and Meghan are given their first baby gifts in Australia
The former Suits actress is thought to be around 12 weeks pregnant, which would mean she is due in mid-April. Despite her early pregnancy, and Tonga and Fiji having a moderate risk of zika virus, the palace has explained that there will be no changes to the couple's royal tour itinerary. HELLO!'s royal correspondent Emily Nash tweeted: "For those asking, there is no change to the tour programme and the couple have taken medical advice about the Zika risk in the Pacific Islands."
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Meanwhile, in a welcome speech in Sydney, Harry made reference to his unborn baby for the first time, saying: "Thank you for the incredibly warm welcome and the chance to meet so many Aussies from all walks of life. And we also genuinely couldn't think of a better place to announce the upcoming baby, whether it's a boy or a girl, so thank you very, very much."
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