Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced Sunday they are expecting a second child.

The child’s gender is not yet known, but a spokesperson for the prince said in a statement quoted by BBC News that “we can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”

The latest member of the royal family will be the fifth grandchild of Charles, the Prince of Wales, and either the 10th or 11th great-grandchild of the Queen and her husband Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. A great-grandchild is also due soon to the queen’s eldest granddaughter, Zara Tindall.

Should Harry and Meghan’s baby be born in California, the current residence of the two royals, he or she will be the first member of the House of Windsor to be born in the US.

Their second child will be eighth in line to the British throne, with the couple opting for the title of Master or Miss rather than Lord or Lady.

In a statement released Sunday evening, Buckingham Palace, the residence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, said: “Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well.”

The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to her first son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in May 2019, and he is currently seventh in the line of succession to the throne.

In November last year, Meghan revealed the unfortunate news that she suffered a miscarriage while taking care of Archie.

in January 2020, the royal couple officially stepped back from their senior positions in the royal family and are no longer using their official titles of His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) which are usually given to senior members of the House of Windsor.

The decision was a result of intense media scrutiny of the couple by British tabloids who were accused of bullying and intruding in the personal lives of the royals. It is understood that Buckingham Palace was disappointed with the decision and was not even consulted beforehand.

In September 2019, Meghan sued Associated Newspapers after their affiliates, the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online, published a private letter she had written to her estranged father and sought damages for alleged misuse of private information, copyright, and infringement as well as a breach of the Data Protection Act.

On Thursday, she won a high court privacy case against the Mail on Sunday after a two-year legal battle. (PNA)