After months of obsessive speculation, St. James Palace has confirmed the worst-kept secret in England: Kate Middleton is pregnant. That’s right, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first baby, and while there was no word on whether they’re expecting a boy or a girl, the baby-betting bonanza has already begun. Paddy Power, Europe’s largest betting company, have bet on everything from the unborn child’s name to its hair color and godparents. Meanwhile, mum-to-be Kate has some serious morning sickness, and her currently nonexistent baby bump will likely be the most-covered topic in British tabloids until she gives birth. In honor of today’s joyous news, The Daily Beast looks at other royals with baby bumps and babies, from Princess Diana to Queen Elizabeth II.
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The glowing Countess looks ready to pop in this photo, taken a month before the birth of her first child, Lady Louise Windsor, with hubbie Prince Edward, Charles's younger brother.
Tim Graham / Getty Images
Sarah Ferguson, who married Prince Andrew, Duke of York in 1986, rocks an oversized sweater and fetching boots at a skiing competition while pregnant with her second child, Princess Eugenie. Marital bliss didn't last long for Fergie, who allegedly had extra-marital affairs and was divorced from Andrew after 10 years of marriage. Though she retained her Duchess title, Fergie became a royal outcast, culminating in a tawdry episode in which she attempted to drunkenly sell access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, and was caught doing so on tape by a reporter for the now-defunct News of the World. Fergie didn't make the 1,900-person guest list to the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, but her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, stole the show with their outlandish fascinators.
When 21-year-old Diana was pregnant with Prince Willliam, she took a tumble down a staircase at Sandringham House, the royal family’s country estate. All of England breathed a collective sigh of relief when the royal gynecologist, Sir George Pinker, announced that the 12-week fetus was uninjured. Here, a pregnant Di and Prince Charles watch the regimental Trooping the Colour ceremony from Buckingham Palace.
Princess Margaret and her husband, Lord Snowdon, the former Antony Armstrong-Jones, greet fans as they leave Clarence House in London with their first born little crumpet, "David Albert Charles", Viscount Linley.
AP Photo
Prince Charles of Edinburgh takes the proceedings seriously as he and his smiling mother, Princess Elizabeth, pose for first informal pictures in Buckingham Palace.
AP Photo
The Queen Mum gazes lovingly at her baby daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II of England.
