Palace announces pregnancy in week Prince George starts school
The Duchess of Cambridge is forced to cancel a public engagement due to her severe morning sickness
THE day their firstborn child starts school is a landmark for any parent, with families around the country preparing a handkerchief and taking photographs for posterity.
The Duchess of Cambridge will face a far greater challenge when she waves Prince George off this week, as she is pregnant with her third child and suffering from severe morning sickness.
The Duchess, who had planned to join the ranks of emotional parents on the school run on Thursday, will instead face a battle to be well enough to join Prince George, inset, for a promised first day at school accompanied by his mother and father.
She is expecting her third baby, due in the spring; a younger brother or sister for Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two. The baby will be fifth in line to the throne, with Princess Charlotte remaining fourth, even if the infant is a boy, thanks to a change in the rules of succession in 2013.
The Duchess has once again been struck down with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that led to her being treated in hospital when she was expecting Prince George. Kensington Palace announced her pregnancy yesterday, after the Duchess was compelled to cancel a planned public engagement at a children’s centre because she was unwell. When the Duchess was expecting Princess Charlotte, she also announced she was pregnant earlier than the favoured 12-week mark because of her illness.
The announcement was made on Sept 8 and the Princess was born on May 2.
A spokesman said yesterday: “Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child.
“The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news. As with her previous two pregnancies, the Duchess is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum. The Duchess is being cared for at Kensington Palace.” Hyperemesis gravidarum affects 3.5 in every 1,000 pregnant women, and is characterised by severe vomiting which can lead to dehydration, weight loss and ketosis.
Experts warned that the condition often gets worse with subsequent pregnancies, but can be treated with medication from the early stages.
The Prince of Wales, grandfather-tobe, was “delighted” following the announcement, Clarence House said.
Prince Harry said he was feeling “fantastic” about becoming an uncle for the third time, adding during an engagement in Manchester that he was: “Very, very happy.” Asked how his sister-in-law was getting on, he told reporters: “I haven’t seen her for a while but I think she’s OK.”
Upon the baby’s birth, Prince Harry will be sixth in line to the throne but, under the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, will still have to ask the Queen’s permission to marry.
Royal sources said the Duchess naturally hoped to be present for Prince George’s first day at school, but would have to take each public appearance as it comes depending on her health.
The Prince, who turned four in July, is starting at Thomas’s Battersea on Thursday, and was due to attend a public photocall with his mother and father by his side to mark the milestone.