The Queen has expressed her delight following the news that her granddaughter, Zara Tindall, is pregnant with her third baby. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that the monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, are "aware and delighted" by the very happy announcement.
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Zara's husband Mike Tindall was the one to break the news. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast, the former England captain told his co-hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne: "It's been a good week for me, had a little scan last week – third Tindall on its way."
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He continued: "I'd like a boy this time, I've got two girls, I would like a boy. I'll love it whether a boy or a girl – but please be a boy!" To groans from one of his co-hosts, Mike then joked: "We're not sure what to do Covi or Covina – I don't know where to go with names."
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Zara, 39, endured two miscarriages before welcoming little Lena. Touching upon their previous heartbreak, Mike, 42, said: "Z is very good, always careful because of things that have happened in the past, and really looking forward to it."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen is "delighted" by news of Zara's third pregnancy
The happy couple have been married since July 2011; they tied the knot at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh. They already share two little girls together: Mia, six, and two-year-old Lena.
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Asked about the baby's due date, Mike remained tight-lipped and replied: "We like to play our cards close to the chest." But he revealed his eldest child has not yet been told the good news: "We haven't told Mia yet because we knew she would tell everyone at school. Now that we've gone through the scan, yes (of) course we'll tell her.
"She'll be happy about it, she's been requesting another sister or brother, so we've hopefully fulfilled that role for her. She just wants something different now. Lena's growing up - she's two-and-a-half now - she wants something younger to play with and dress up!"
Zara won't be the only member of the royal family to welcome a baby in 2021. Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank are expecting their first child together early next year, with Buckingham Palace confirming their happy news in September.
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