Monaco's Princess Charlene, the wife of Prince Albert II, is expecting the couple's first child at the end of the year, the royal palace announced today.
"Prince Albert and Princess Charlene have the immense joy to announce they are expecting a happy event," the palace said in a statement. "The birth is due at the end of the year."
The 36-year-old is a former Olympic swimmer, she married Albert in 2011.
The new baby is Charlene's first child and will replace Albert's sister Princess Caroline as next in line to the Monaco throne.
Prince Albert already has two recognised children, US-born daughter Jazmin, who is now 22, and a younger son, Alexandre, from his relationship with an Air France hostess of Togolese origin.
