Princess Beatrice is expecting her second child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old royal, who welcomed her first child Sienna Elizabeth in September 2021, shared the happy news via a Buckingham Palace statement.
It read: "Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child together in early spring; a sibling for Wolfie, aged eight, and Sienna, aged three. His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news."
The Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson's daughter is also stepmother to Edoardo's eight-year-old Wolfie whose full name is Christopher Mapelli Mozzi, with his ex-fiancée Dara Huang.
Two new pictures from the family were shared to mark the announcement, with one showing blonde-haired Sienna from behind as she walks along a country lane, holding hands in the middle of her father and big brother Wolfie.
The youngster, with a red bow in her hair, is kitted out in bright yellow wellies and an all-in-one blue waterproof puddlesuit decorated with cloud and bird motifs.
Sienna celebrated her third birthday last month with grandmother Sarah telling HELLO! exclusively how the family marked the occasion.
"We had such a good time, with balloons and a fabulous unicorn cake from Tesco," she recalls. "I also gave her a pink mackintosh with glitter in it and I think mum was thrilled with that!"
© PAIn another picture, an overjoyed Beatrice – wearing a black puffer jacket – smiles at the camera, while being embraced by Edoardo, who is gazing at his wife.
The baby will be the great-nephew or niece of the King, and will be 11th in line to the front behind his or her big sister, Sienna. The tot will not have an official royal title as Edoardo did not receive one from the late Queen Elizabeth II upon his marriage to Beatrice.
© PAHowever, the property mogul has Italian heritage and is a Count, meaning that his children have the courtesy titles of counts or 'nobile donna'
Prince Andrew and Sarah are also grandparents to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's sons, August, three, and one-year-old Ernest.
Beatrice was last pictured at New York Climate Week, where she joined her mother Sarah.
Sarah expressed her joy at becoming a grandmother again as she posted rare photographs of Beatrice and Sienna on Instagram, writing: "A very proud GiGi/Mum today. Such an incredible blessing and an embrace to my heart. Wolfie, August, Ernie and Sienna will be over the moon to have the fifth member of the five aside."
© Instagram / @sarahferguson15The snaps showed Sienna as a flower girl and enjoying a sunny day outside, and in a lengthier message the Duchess added: "Darling Beatrice, words can't quite express the joy and excitement I feel as you and Edo prepare to welcome another precious addition to your beautiful family. Becoming a granny again fills my heart with so much happiness and gratitude.
© Instagram / @sarahferguson15"Watching you grow as a mother has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and now to see your family blossom further is an absolute blessing. Our family is growing, and so too is the love that surrounds us. I cannot wait to meet this little one and to share in all the wonderful memories we will make together. All my love."
Meanwhile, Beatrice's sister Eugenie shared a sibling snap and a picture of her playing on the beach with Beatrice, Edoardo, Jack and their respective children August and Sienna at Christmas 2022.
© Instagram / @princesseugenie"Congratulations Beabea.. So looking forward to more on this journey of motherhood together. And adding another little one to the gang.I couldn't find a single group shot of us [hand over face emoji], so this one from Christmas 2022 will have to do," she wrote.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's love story
Beatrice and Edoardo made their first public appearance at The Portrait Gala in March 2019.
Following a string of low-key London dates and high-profile appearances, the couple announced their engagement in September 2019.
© PoolA statement issued by Buckingham Palace read: "The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York to Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Her Royal Highness and Mr. Mapelli Mozzi became engaged while away for the weekend in Italy earlier this month. The wedding will take place in 2020. Further details will be announced in due course."
© GettyDue to the coronavirus pandemic, the couple were due to tie the knot on Friday 29 May 2020 in an intimate ceremony rather than a grand royal wedding like her peers Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and sister Eugenie. However, it was sadly postponed when lockdown failed to lift in the UK.
The pair surprised everyone by tying the knot at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge Windsor in July of the same year.
© GettyThe private, socially distanced ceremony was only attended by the couple's closest friends and family, including her grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh due to the ongoing public health crisis.
Princess Beatrice's birth story with baby Sienna
In 2021, one year after her wedding, Beatrice gave birth to Sienna in London at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Her low-key birth announcement came as a surprise since her sister Eugenie and her mother Sarah Ferguson both gave birth at London's Portland hospital.
© InstagramBeatrice thanked her midwife team on Twitter for their "wonderful care" and is understood to have returned home the same weekend as the birth.
© Instagram / @edomapellimozziA statement released at the time read: "Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well, and the couple are looking forward to introducing their daughter to her big brother Christopher Woolf."
Princess Beatrice's home life with her family
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew's eldest child remains incredibly private about her personal life. The couple are thought to have moved from St James's Palace to the Cotswolds after purchasing their forever home in the summer of 2021.
© Max Mumby/IndigoAhead of their move, the £3 million country abode underwent extensive renovations, including reportedly having new security gates installed. The property is also said to have a swimming pool and tennis courts.
© GettyNo doubt the abode will get the royal treatment thanks to Edoardo's unmatched design skills and years of experience. The property mogul is the Creative Director at Banda Property, an interior design studio that works on jaw-dropping projects all over the world.
Beatrice and her husband still spend plenty of time in London and the surrounding areas, however. Edoardo's son Wolfie lives with his mother Dara in a fancy flat in Kensington while Beatrice's parents live at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
