The announcement added that Kate was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London on Monday with a severe form of morning sickness. William is at his wife’s side.
News of the pregnancy drew congratulations from across the world, with the hashtag “royalbaby” trending globally on Twitter.
The couple’s first child will be third in line to take the throne – leapfrogging the gregarious Prince Harry and possibly setting up the first scenario in which a U.K. female heir could benefit from new gender rules about succession.
The palace would not say how far along the 30-year-old duchess is, only that she has not yet reached the 12-week mark. Pala
ce officials said the duchess was hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum, a potentially dangerous type of morning sickness where vomiting is so severe no food or liquid can be kept down. They said she was expected to remain hospitalized for several days and would require a period of rest afterward.
In recent days, Kate has kept up royal appearances — recently playing field hockey with schoolchildren at her former prep school and paying an official visit to Cambridge with her husband.
The confirmation of her pregnancy caps a jam-packed year of highs and lows for the young royals, who were married in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey last year.
