This post deals with miscarriage and might be triggering for some readers.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have confirmed they're expecting their second child.
"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," a spokesperson for the couple told PEOPLE.
The couple announced their pregnancy with a black-and-white photo taken remotely via iPad by their longtime friend and photographer, Misan Harriman.
The announcement comes after Markle shared she had suffered a miscarriage in July 2020.
In a personal essay for The New York Times last November, Markle explained the moment she knew she was losing her baby after experiencing a cramp back in July.
"After changing [Archie's] diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right," she wrote.
"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.
"Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears."
"Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few. In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage. Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning," she wrote.
"Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same. We have learned that when people ask how any of us are doing, and when they really listen to the answer, with an open heart and mind, the load of grief often becomes lighter — for all of us. In being invited to share our pain, together we take the first steps toward healing."
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Feature Image: Getty.
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