PRINCESS Beatrice is pregnant with her first child, Buckingham Palace has announced. 

The royal who is married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi is due to give birth in autumn.

The palace said in a statement: "Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting a baby in autumn of this year." 

It added: "The Queen has been informed and both families are delighted with the news." 

It is not yet known whether Princess Beatrice who is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, is expecting a girl or boy.

The new member of the Royal Family will be the Queen's 12th great-grandchild, with the birth due a few months after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's daughter in the early summer. 

The welcome news for the monarch and Royal Family comes as they are still mourning the loss of the Duke of Edinburgh who died last month.

The couple tied the knot during lockdown last July 2020 when Beatrice, who is 32, and Mr Mapelli Mozzi had to postpone their planned ceremony because of the pandemic.

More to follow.