Pippa Middleton, the sister of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and husband James Matthews are reportedly expecting their first child. The news comes a month before their one-year wedding anniversary.
A friend told the U.K. Sun on Sunday that Middleton told her family and close friends after a 12-week scan. Catherine, who is about to give birth to her third child in a few days, "could not have been more delighted" after hearing the news, the friend said.
"When Pippa found out she was pregnant, she was obviously thrilled and utterly overjoyed," the friend told The Sun. “Naturally, big sister Kate and parents, Carole and Michael, were the first people she told — James aside — and they could not have been more delighted. It’s been a tough few weeks for the two families, so this has provided some much-needed happiness and light relief.”
The friend continued, “Pippa and James have always known they wanted children. They have made the most of their first few months of marriage and felt the time was right to expand their family.”
The baby is reportedly due in October.
The Matthews family has been mired in a scandal in recent weeks. Late last month, Matthews' father, David Matthews, was charged with child rape in France and was taken into custody on March 27.
The 74-year-old David Matthews was accused of two incidents in 1998 and 1999, according to the Daily Mail. One incident allegedly happened in Paris and the other happened on the Caribbean island Saint Barthélemy, a French territory.
David Matthews denied the allegations, calling them "untrue and scandalous."
The 42-year-old Matthews is a financier, and his father is a self-made millionaire. His brother, Spencer Matthews, has appeared on the U.K. reality series Made In Chelsea. Spencer and his wife, model Vogue Williams, are also expecting their first child.
Matthews also had another brother, Michael, who died at age 22 during a Mount Everest expedition.
The 34-year-old Middleton married Matthews in May 2017 at the St. Mark’s Church in Englefield, England, near where Middleton grew up.
Middleton's older sister Catherine is married to Prince William. She is expecting her third child on April 23. William might have accidentally revealed that the baby is a girl while celebrating his soccer team Aston Villa's win on April 10.
"I'm going to insist the baby is called Jack," William reportedly said after Jack Grealish scored the winning goal. He then reportedly added, "...Or Jackie."
Middleton is already an aunt to 4-year-old Prince George and 2-year-old Princess Charlotte. They are third and fourth in the line of British succession, respectively.