LONDON -- Britain's royal family announced Monday that the Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, is pregnant with her second child.
The duchess and Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, who is second in line to the British throne, have a son, George, whose birth last year was chronicled in exhaustive detail by news organizations across the globe. The announcement of the duchess's second pregnancy received similar treatment.
"George is going to be a big brother," the Daily Mirror tabloid declared, offering to explain "why royal baby number 2 could be a tearaway." On its website, the Daily Mail promised insights into the "world of a new royal baby: A nursery fit for a prince (or princess), a country home in Norfolk and a big brother who will one day be king."
A royal announcement said the duke and duchess, both 32, were "delighted," though the duchess was said to be undergoing treatment for acute morning sickness. Her first pregnancy was marked by the same condition, known in medical terms as hyperemesis gravidarum.
On Monday, she canceled a planned engagement with her husband in Oxford, west of London, where the couple had been set to inaugurate a center for the study of China. She had also been scheduled to join her husband and her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, later this week at a sporting event for military service personnel recovering from injury and sickness.
The announcement came as Britons confronted an array of charged issues, including a potential threat from British jihadists in the Middle East, the future of the union with Scotland -- to be decided in a referendum next week -- and the broader questions of their country's relationship with Europe and its place in the world as a post-imperial power.
Against those issues, the idea of a royal birth -- like royal weddings -- offers the nation a chance to revive its fascination with the House of Windsor, whose popularity waned after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, but has since rebounded.
Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday offered "many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I'm delighted by the happy news that they're expecting another baby."
The Scottish prime minister, Alex Salmond, who is campaigning for Scotland to break away from its 307-year union with England, used the royal couple's Scottish title, Earl & Countess of Strathearn, in a congratulatory message on Twitter.
The Scottish title dates to the 14th century, according to the royal website.
The announcement did not say when the baby is expected. British news reports said the duchess's pregnancy had not passed the 12-week stage.
Much of the immediate attention focused on the duchess's ability to fulfill her royal duties, including a trip to the Mediterranean island nation of Malta that is scheduled in less than two weeks.
A Section on 09/09/2014