The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby, according to an official statement just released by palace officials, who confirm that Kate Middleton and Prince William, both 30, are adding a royal boy or girl to their mix.

Kate has been admitted to the hospital for Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a “very acute morning sickness, which requires supplementary hydration and nutrients,” according to the duke and duchess’ official website.

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby.The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.

The Duchess was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in Central London with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter.

The official statement of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy comes after an exhaustive set of baby rumors that have dogged the couple ever since their royal wedding in April 2011:

• On the pair’s recent royal tour in Asia, Catherine declined wine in favor of water on several occasions, fueling speculation that she was expecting. Prince William also told a little boy that he wanted “two” children.

• Just a week earlier, Star magazine had breathlessly (and creepily?) declared that the couple had conceived on a “passionate night together” following the London Olympics.

• In November 2011, just six months after the wedding, In Touch pronounced Kate six weeks along, but summer 2012 came and went without, obviously, a royal birth. (Palace officials had shot down those rumors anyway.)

• Also in November 2011, Catherine declined to taste a peanut butter paste at a UNICEF event, leading to gossip that she was expecting. (Pregnant moms apparently often avoid peanut butter to help prevent allergy issues.)

The new royal baby will obviously be the first for William and Catherine, who married in 2011 after a 10-year on-and-off courtship. He or she will be Queen Elizabeth II’s third great-grandchild (after Savannah and Isla Phillips), Prince Harry’s first niece or nephew and will make Pippa Middleton a proud aunt.

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AP

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