A royal baby is on the way. On Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they are expecting their second child with a socially distanced photo that looked straight out of a rom-com.
But the timing of the announcement is even more special in that it shares a royal connection — and proof that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Exactly 37 years ago, Princess Diana and Prince Charles announced they were expecting their second child, a red-haired tot that would grow up to be Prince Harry himself.
And while that official palace announcement came on Feb. 13 1984, it made big news on Valentine’s Day — just like Harry and Meghan’s announcement this weekend.
Headlines including “Valentine’s Joy for Charles And Diana” and “the Queen is pleased” dominated the news cycle back then. It seems the royals and modern royal watchers alike are reacting to Meghan’s pregnancy with equal exuberance.
According to a statement from Buckingham Palace, the Queen is “delighted.” And many fans took to social media to note the subtle Diana connection in the timing.
“Archie’s going to be a big brother. And what timing! On Valentine’s Day 37 years ago Princess Diana and Prince Charles announced they were expecting Harry,” Elizabeth Holmes, author of “HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style,” wrote on Instagram.
The announcement comes just a few months after Meghan penned an moving op-ed in the New York Times detailing the pregnancy loss she experienced in July.
“Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she wrote
The expected baby will join big brother Archie Harrison, who will turn two this May. And while no details on the sex or due date have been released, Meghan has already hinted at another Diana connection should they have a girl.
She’s said she plans to pass on the Cartier French Tank watch she bought for herself while starring in the TV show “Suits” to her future daughter.
“I had it engraved on the back, ‘To M.M. From M.M.,’” Markle said in 2015. “I plan to give it to my daughter one day. That’s what makes pieces special, the connection you have to them.”
Grandma would be proud — Princess Diana was also known to wear a Cartier Tank watch.
So get ready for the coming months to be filled with fresh royal baby speculation.
If the timing aligns, we could be looking at another September royal baby and possibly another Virgo in the Sussex family.