King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan are expecting their second child in spring 2020. The king announced the couple's happy news during a speech on Wednesday - the 112th National Day of Bhutan, when the country celebrates its culture and pays tribute to the past, present and future kings. Photos from the festivities were posted on the royal's Instagram, with the caption: "112th National Day: His Majesty The King announced that Their Majesties are expecting a second Royal Child."
King Jigme Khesar, 39, and his wife, 29, have a son Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, also known as the Dragon Prince, who was born in February 2016. His name wasn't announced until two months later and prior to that, he was known only as The Gyalsey, which means "prince." When the new royal baby is born, he or she will be second-in-line to the Bhutan throne, however if the child is a girl, she could be displaced by a future younger brother.
WATCH: How the royal family spend Christmas
The British royal family followed the same rule until the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 replaced the male-preference primogeniture for those born after 28 October 2011. This meant that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's daughter, Princess Charlotte, kept her position as fourth-in-line to the throne after her younger brother Prince Louis was born in 2018.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe King and Queen of Bhutan with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
King Jigme Khesar married Jetsun Pema in October 2011, in Punakha Dzong, followed by a public celebration in Thimphu and Paro. He became king in December 2006, following his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck's abdication, and was officially crowned two years later. The royal couple met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their royal tour of Bhutan in 2016, shortly after the birth of their son.
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