Princess Beatrice is pregnant with her second child, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The late Queen’s granddaughter, 36, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 40, are preparing to welcome a new addition to their family in early spring.

The royal baby will be a little brother or sister for the couple’s three-year-old daughter Sienna, and Mr Mapelli Mozzi’s son and Beatrice’s stepson, eight-year-old Wolfie.

Two new pictures from the family were shared to mark the announcement, with one showing blonde-haired Sienna from behind as she walks along a country lane, holding hands in the middle of her father and big brother Wolfie.

The youngster, with a red bow in her hair, is kitted out in bright yellow wellies and an all-in-one blue waterproof puddlesuit decorated with cloud and bird motifs.

In another picture, an overjoyed Beatrice – wearing a black puffer jacket – smiles at the camera, while being embraced by Mr Mapelli Mozzi, who is gazing at his wife.

The King has been informed and both families are “delighted”, the Palace said on Tuesday.

The happy news comes during one of the royal family’s most personally challenging years, with the King, the Princess of Wales and Beatrice’s mother Sarah, Duchess of York all being diagnosed with cancer.

Sarah was treated for malignant melanoma skin cancer in January, just months after undergoing a mastectomy for breast cancer, but Beatrice said in May the duchess had been given the “all clear”.

The duchess expressed her joy at Beatrice’s pregnancy, writing on social media: “A very proud GiGi/Mum today. Such an incredible blessing and an embrace to my heart.

“Wolfie, August, Ernie and Sienna will be over the moon to have the fifth member of the five aside!”

Beatrice is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah, and the new baby will be the Yorks’ fourth grandchild, with step-grandson Wolfie making five.

Addressing her “Darling Beatrice” in a shared heartfelt message, the duchess wrote: “Becoming a granny again fills my heart with so much happiness and gratitude.”

She added: “I cannot wait to meet this little one and to share in all the wonderful memories we will make together.”

Sarah posted a photo of herself and Beatrice, who was wearing a floral headband, crouching down with Sienna, who was dressed in a white flower-girl style dress with a pale turquoise bow around the waist.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child together in early spring; a sibling for Wolfie, aged eight, and Sienna, aged three.

“His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news.”

The baby, who will not be an HRH, will be born 11th in line to the throne, with Beatrice’s younger sister Princess Eugenie moving down to 12th place, and Eugenie’s sons August and Ernest Brooksbank becoming 13th and 14th in line.

He or she will also be the 14th great-grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the second to be born since her death in 2022, following the arrival of Ernest last year.

Bookmakers Coral said Victoria was the 3-1 favourite for the baby’s name, with Elizabeth next at 4-1, Arthur 5-1 and Mary and Oliver 6-1.

Coral’s John Hill said: “Victoria has opened up as the early favourite in our royal name betting, and it is no surprise as it obviously has a lot of history in the royal family.

“Beatrice could go with Elizabeth if it is a girl, as a nod towards her late grandmother, while Arthur and Olivier are also prominent in the betting.”

The Mapelli Mozzis’ daughter Sienna, whose has the second name Elizabeth in honour of the late Queen, was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, weighing 6lb 2oz, on September 18 2021.

Last month, Andrew’s controversial Newsnight grilling over his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein hit the headlines once again, with Prime Video’s new dramatisation A Very Royal Scandal featuring Michael Sheen as the duke and Ruth Wilson as interviewer Emily Maitlis.

Beatrice, who attended a negotiation meeting with her father ahead of the interview, was played by Honor Swinton Byrne.

The princess topped the list of Tatler’s best dressed people in 2024, and was praised for being “a beacon of sartorial elegance” by “pairing vintage-inspired cuts with fresh-from-the-catwalk glamour”.

She married millionaire property tycoon Mr Mapelli Mozzi in a secret lockdown wedding in 2020 attended by her grandparents the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, after her planned ceremony was postponed because of the pandemic.

Known as Edo, Mr Mapelli Mozzi is the son of former Olympic skier Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi and Nikki Williams-Ellis.

His son Christopher Woolf, nicknamed Wolfie, was born in 2016 to his then-girlfriend, American architect and designer Dara Huang.

Beatrice has described Wolfie as her “bonus son” and he joined the Mapelli Mozzis at Kate’s Together At Christmas carol service in Westminster Abbey last December, holding hands with his stepmother as he arrived.

The princess, who is not a full-time working royal, is an adviser for Afiniti, an artificial intelligence software firm, and a co-founder of The Big Change Charitable Trust.

She has a number of royal patronages including the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre.

In 2011, she hit the headlines with the unusual Philip Treacy “pretzel” hat which she wore to the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding.

It was likened to everything from a toilet seat to a cat flap and Facebook pages sprung up in its honour, attracting thousands of followers.

But she later auctioned the headwear on eBay for charity, raising more than £81,000 for good causes.