14 DAY TRIAL // The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, are expecting their second child together, less than 14 months after welcoming Prince George. The statement from a representative from the Palace confirms that the Duchess is receiving medical care again.
Kate suffers from a severe form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum, so the announcement that she’s pregnant also includes a mention that she’s under medical supervision again, so that she can be kept under observation.
The Queen is delighted another royal baby is on the way
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child,” the official announcement says, as cited by People magazine.
“The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news,” the text adds.
The happy news couldn’t come at a better time, as the Queen is said to be distraught at the possibility of Scotland attaining independence and leaving the United Kingdom. If reports claiming that are accurate, at least she has something great to look forward to in the arrival of a new grandson next year.
The Duchess’ health problem is not new
“As with her first pregnancy, The Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer accompany The Duke of Cambridge on their planned engagement in Oxford today. The Duchess is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace,” the statement says.
The official announcement is a replica of the one made in December 2012, when the Palace revealed that Kate and Prince William were expecting their first child, but that the Duchess had been rushed to the hospital because of her condition.
Hyperemesis gravidarum affects about 2 percent of expectant mothers and is considered rare. Its symptoms include severe nausea, dehydration, and fatigue, and left unsupervised, it can lead to serious complications.
At the time of the 2012 announcement, they had no other option but to disclose the fact that she was with child, because the hospitalization would have meant that news of it would have gotten out either way.
Since she’s being treated at Kensington Palace now, there is some speculation that her condition isn’t worse than the first time around.
The Duke and Duchess made no secret of their future baby plans
For the past couple of months, the British tabloids have been keeping very busy speculating on whether Kate was pregnant again or not. Just last week, one such report claimed that she was with child, deemed a “miracle baby” because it was conceived just 10 weeks after a miscarriage.
Officially, both Kate and William have said that they would like to have another child but they never mentioned an exact timeframe for when they expected that to happen.