It’s finally official. After weeks of whispers and bump-concealing outfits, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry have announced they are expecting their first baby together.
And the rumour mill is going into overdrive that it could be double baby joy for the royal couple, as London bookies have slashed the odds of Meghan giving birth to twins from 8:1 to 4:1.
However, while the palace has only confirmed that Meghan is expecting one child, New Idea has learned that Meghan and Harry are secretly hopeful they will be expecting twins.
“Meghan has talked about wanting twins for a really long time. Her best friend Jessica Mulroney has twins and she’s always said that having a boy and girl would be perfect,” spilled a royal insider. “I know she talked about IVF and fertility drugs. She knew that falling pregnant at 37 may be a little bit harder for her and that she didn’t have a lot of time on her hands.”
British obstetrician Professor Teoh, who specialises in multiple births, said despite Meghan’s age, there is a 70 per cent chance she could have conceived the twins naturally. “But in the event she had IVF and opted for a single sperm injection, there is a 1-in-100 chance the embryo split into two and they would have identical twins,” he adds.
Kensington Palace made the baby announcement on the first day of the couple’s Australian tour, saying: “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.”
Related: Confirmed! Meghan and Harry ‘having twins’
Keen to keep their exciting news close to his chest, 34-year-old Harry politely refused to spill any further details about the pregnancy at a reception at Admiralty House.
“We genuinely couldn’t think of a better place to announce the, er, upcoming baby,” he spluttered, before adding, “be it a boy or a girl”.
However, Meghan did let slip that she is in fact four months along in her pregnancy during a chat with Aussie singer Missy Higgins.
“What an honour to meet the beautiful duchess today! She was such a sweetheart,” Higgins captioned a pic of herself holding daughter Luna while greeting Meghan at Admiralty House.
Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly ‘having twins’
“I said I felt sorry for her having to do all these meet-and-greets while four months pregnant!”
And royal observers have been quick to do the calculations.
If Meghan is already four months pregnant, it would mean she and Harry conceived roughly a month after their May 19 wedding, making it possible they were on their mini-moon in Dublin.
“Meghan was desperate to fall pregnant straight away,” a source close to the duchess tells New Idea. “Becoming a mum is something she’s wanted for a really long time, and she didn’t want to waste any time in making her dream come true.”
The pregnant duchess also admitted to gathered fans that she was “running on adrenaline” and feeling “a bit tired”, but still planning to go ahead with all 76 engagements of the 16-day tour.
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea, on sale now.
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