MEGHAN’S PREGNANT!

“I CAN’T WAIT TO BE A MOM”

The last-minute gown alterations she hid from the queen

Inside their $20,000 nursery

Harry tells friends: “If it’s a girl, we’ll name her Diana!”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have both had babies on the brain for a long time. “I would love to have kids right now,” the royal gushed in 2015 after his brother, William, welcomed his second child, Charlotte. A year later, Meghan confessed in an interview that she longs to be a mom, saying, “I can’t wait to start a family.” Naturally, the subject of parenthood came up again after the pair became engaged in November and gave their first joint televised interview. As Harry said at the time, “Hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.”

It seems the near future is now. Multiple sources confirm to In Touch that Harry, 33, and the former Suits star, 36, who are marrying May 19 at Windsor Castle, have been actively trying to conceive. “Although it’s tradition to wait until tying the knot before having babies, Harry’s always been a rule breaker and Meghan can feel her biological clock ticking, so they’ve already stopped using contraception,” says one source. “They’ve been trying for a baby for a few months.” And another insider drops a bigger bombshell: Some of Meghan’s closest friends believe the American actress is already expecting a little prince or princess! “Meghan’s been nauseous,” explains the insider, noting the top-secret, last-minute gown fittings to accommodate her changing waistline. “Her skin is glowing and pals have spotted Harry affectionately touching her belly.” But if they are expecting, mum’s the word. Says the source: “The queen would freak out if Meghan was pregnant before the wedding!”

UNDER PRESSURE However, it’s actually Harry’s grandma Queen Elizabeth II who’s insisting the couple — introduced by mutual friends in 2016 — carry on the royal bloodline. Even though Harry is sixth in line for the throne ( behind his father, Prince Charles, older brother, William, and William and Kate Middleton’s three kids, George, Charlotte and Louis), he’s nevertheless still expected to have children. “When a member of the House of Windsor gets married,” says a friend of Meghan’s, “they’re strongly urged to become parents as soon as possible.”

The famously frosty — and traditional — queen reportedly was irked that William’s wife, Duchess Kate, 36, didn’t deliver her firstborn until more than two years after she wed. (Charles was born one year after the queen’s wedding, and William was born 11 months after Charles married Princess Diana). “Meghan has felt a tremendous responsibility to get pregnant,”

She said to me, ‘ I can’t wait to be a mother’” — MEGHAN’S FRIEND GINA NELTHORPE- COWNE

says the insider. “She has been panicked because she doesn’t want to disappoint Harry, the queen and the whole royal family.”

But she has her own reasons for rushing into motherhood. Meghan “desperately wanted to get pregnant” when she was wed to producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2013, according to the friend. But the couple struggled to conceive, and even discussed turning to IVF. “Sadly, their inability to have a child created stress and acrimony between Meghan and Trevor,” continues the friend, who says it was one of the contributing factors in their split.

That stress is amplified now because of Meghan’s age. “At nearly 37, she is concerned she won’t be able to conceive naturally,” says the source. Having a child also is important to Meghan because of her own rocky family situation. Though she’s super close with her mother, Doria Ragland, she has grown apart from her father, former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle (see sidebar), and doesn’t speak with her half-siblings, Thomas Markle Jr. and Samantha Grant, who both claim she turned her back on them when she got famous. Because of the estrangement, says the source, “One of Meghan’s main goals in life is to create a stable family unit.”

GETTING READY FOR BABY

Despite everything weighing on her mind, Meghan is keeping a positive attitude — and a healthy body. “She has looked into IVF as a backup plan but is doing everything in her power to conceive naturally,” says the source. “She has turned to Kate for advice and is practicing yoga poses that are said to increase fertility,” plus she’s taking a folic acid supplement and fine-tuning her healthy diet to be optimal for conception.

Meghan has had to juggle all these

parenting preparations with those for the wedding of the century, which will put her under a global microscope. “She and Harry are more excited about having babies than they are about their actual wedding. They’ve already discussed names,” according to the source, who says Jack and James are top picks for boys. Adds the insider: “Harry’s been telling friends, ‘If it’s a girl, we’ll name her Diana.’” The couple are already at work on a Kensington Palace nursery, which “Meghan is designing with help from Kate” and will cost upwards of $20,000, says the insider. “Meghan’s extremely creative and hands-on.” The couple also have envisioned what a HarryMeghan mix might look like: “They know they’ll have beautiful children.”

Yes, children. “Harry’s a natural with kids and wants to have at least two or three,” says the source. The prince’s apartment is a short walk from Will, 35, and Kate’s lavish, 20-room Apartment 1A. “Whenever Harry has a free moment, he’s at their place playing with George and Charlotte, who always beg to see ‘Uncle Harry,’” says the source.

Meghan also is a natural. “She’s fantastic with kids,” says the source. “She’ll make an amazing mom.” Her maternal instinct was on display on March 8 during a visit to Birmingham, England, with Harry. While visiting with students, Harry and Meghan met a 10-year-old girl who said she wanted to be an actress when she grew up. Breaking with protocol, Meghan instinctively embraced the girl and told her to follow her dreams.

THE RIGHT TIME

While Meghan, a humanitarian who has worked with organizations such as the United Nations and World Vision, has long projected maturity, Harry hasn’t always had the same reputation. (Remember those photos of him playing strip billiards in Las Vegas in 2012? And, as In Touch exclusively reported in April, a stripper claims she shared a steamy makeout session with him that night.) But in recent years, Harry —and his once-rowdy crew — has grown up. “Most of Harry’s close friends are married with kids. They’re no longer into the party scene and prefer to do more chill group activities that involve their children,” says the source. “Harry’s desperate to be part of the ‘baby club,’ and before dating Meghan he felt like the odd one out among his pals.”

Not for long. “Harry’s thrilled to have finally met his soulmate,” says another royals insider. The only thing needed to complete the fairy tale? A little prince or princess. Says the source: “Nothing would make Harry and Meghan happier than having a child together.” ◼