How Meghan Markle's Pregnancy Announcement Compares to Kate Middleton and Princess Diana

Mondays don’t get much better than this. Earlier today, Kensington Palace confirmed that Meghan Markle is pregnant with her first baby, with the Duchess of Sussex and husband Prince Harry expected to welcome a new addition to their adorable family in the spring of next year. Rumors of her pregnancy have been rife ever since the couple were married back in May, but speculation was kicked into overdrive just last weekend when Meghan appeared at Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding in an oversized, dark blue coat—perfect for disguising a potential baby bump.

Turns out we were all on the money with that one, as the couple reportedly broke the happy news to family and friends for the first time at the wedding. Confirming their pregnancy to the public, palace officials announced across social media: "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.”

Interestingly, Meghan and Harry chose to publicly announce their news on the same day that they landed in Sydney, as they prepare to embark on their first official royal tour as a couple. It’s perfectly timed to make sure their upcoming schedule of appearances is full of happiness and talk of the future.

Royal reporters also confirmed the lovely news that Meghan has already had her 12-week scan and the baby is in good health, while Meghan's mother Doria Ragland has issued a statement saying she was "very happy at this lovely news and is looking forward to welcoming her first grandchild."

But how does the sentimental, personal announcement of their first pregnancy compare to that of Kate Middleton and Prince William, Princess Diana and Prince Charles, or even Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip?

Kate Middleton with Prince George

When news broke that Kate Middleton was pregnant with her first child with Prince William, the circumstances could not have been further from Harry and Meghan’s. They seem to have chosen the perfect moment to share their joy, but back in 2012, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were reportedly left with no choice but to tell their news much earlier than planned. Their announcement came around a year and a half after their wedding.

While it’s been revealed that Meghan has already safely had her 12 week scan, Kate was yet to do the same when her pregnancy news was shared, which must have been incredibly daunting. It’s thought that she and Wills were hoping to wait until Christmas to break the news but, when Kate was hospitalised with hyperemesis gravidarum in early December, they had no real choice but to make the announcement under pressure.

Princess Diana with Prince William

Rewind back to the 80s, and there was of course no tweet prepared and sent out to millions of followers. For Princess Diana’s first pregnancy announcement in 1981, the palace opted for a warm and friendly tone as they broke the happy news on behalf of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Reflecting the personable nature of the mother-to-be, a happy, relaxed approach was taken, with the statement reading: “The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and members of both families are delighted by the news. The princess is in excellent health.”

It's reported that Diana also discussed her pregnancy openly with the press at the time—a first for any royal. The announcement came four months after her wedding to Charles, a month earlier even than Meghan and Harry's.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles

Back in 1948, things were handled very differently. Even the arrival of a future King or Queen came with rigid royal formality. The approach to a pregnancy announcement was incredibly straight forward, and didn’t even directly state that Queen Elizabeth was pregnant at all. Instead, with zero frivolity or emotion involved, a statement to the British media from the palace simply read: "Her Royal Highness the Princess Elizabeth will undertake no public engagements after the end of June.”

While this could not be further from today's announcement for Meghan and Harry, The Queen later gave birth to Prince Charles just shy of her one year wedding anniversary. Coincidentally, it may be similar happy timing with Harry and Meghan's first baby.