Duchess of Sussex, on tour in Australia with the duke, due to give birth early next year

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are expecting a baby next spring.

Kensington Palace said: “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.”

The couple have just started a tour in Australia, where a new poll showed a slight increase in support for a republic despite the global interest in the duke and duchess’s wedding in May.

The duchess has had her 12-week scan and is reported to be due in late April. She and the duke were able to tell the Queen and other members of their family at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding on Friday in Windsor.

The baby will be seventh in line to the throne, and the Queen’s eighth great-grandchild.

Kensington Palace said there would be no change to the itinerary of the duke and duchess’s tour, which includes Fiji and Tonga, despite travel advice that pregnant women should consider not travelling to the countries because of the “moderate risk” of contracting the Zika virus, as advised by Public Health England.

The palace said the couple had sought medical advice and decided to continue with their plans.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were said to be “delighted” for the couple.

Doria Ragland, the duchess’s mother, said she was “very happy about this lovely news” and looked forward to welcoming her first grandchild.

Theresa May said: “My warmest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the happy news they are expecting a baby in the spring. Wishing them all the best.”

The duchess once described motherhood as being on her “bucket list”, while her husband has often spoken of his desire to have children.

On a trip to Belfast less than two months before she got married, the duchess – then Meghan Markle – joked when she was shown an innovative range of baby products: “I’m sure at some point we’ll need the whole (lot).”

And in an interview in 2016, she said: “I can’t wait to start a family, but in due time.”

The topic of children also cropped up in the couple’s engagement interview. Prince Harry said: “I think one step at a time, and hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.”

In 2015, before the couple met, he had said: “Of course I would love to have kids right now but there’s a process that one has to go through. Hopefully I’m doing all right by myself. It would be great to have someone else next to me to share the pressure, but you know, time will come and whatever happens, happens.”

The duchess’s father, Thomas Markle, had said he expected the royal couple would want to try for children soon.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain in an interview a month after the wedding: “She’s wanted children for a long time and when she met Harry and she spoke about how much she loves him, there’s got to be a child in the making, somewhere soon.”

Google said searches for “when is spring?” had spiked after the announcement the pair were expecting a child during the season.

Within minutes of the news being announced, bookmakers were offering odds on the baby’s name, with Diana, James, Arthur and Victoria emerging as the early favourites.

The news was welcomed by the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, who tweeted:

Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) What fantastic news! Australia is thrilled for you both. Looking forward to sharing in the joy during your stay down under. https://t.co/uxQsza3VzG

Before the announcement a poll of 1,000 Australians found 52.4% want a republic with an Australian head of state. The survey by the Australian Republican Movement found that 22.4% of respondents were against or strongly against Australia becoming a republic.