Queen Elizabeth II is a proud great-grandma!
The queen gave a sweet shout-out to the royal baby on the way from her grandson, Prince Harry, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during her annual Christmas message from Buckingham Palace.
She also celebrated the two royal babies who already arrived this year: Prince Louis, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Lena, the second daughter of the queen’s eldest granddaughter, Zara Phillips.
And the queen mentioned the two British royal couples who tied the knot in 2018: Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.
“It has been a busy year for my family,” the queen said. “With two weddings and two babies, and another child expected soon, it helps to keep a grandmother well occupied.”
Queen Elizabeth, 92, has eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, and the royal matriarch has picked up plenty of wisdom over the years about the meaning of family.
“Some cultures believe a long life brings wisdom. I’d like to think so,” she said in her Christmas message. “Through the many changes I have seen over the years, faith, family and friendship have been not only a constant for me, but a source of personal comfort and reassurance.”
She doesn’t have long to wait now for the newest edition to her growing family; Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first child sometime in the spring, though they haven’t announced a due date.
In the meantime, the duchess just enjoyed her first Christmas as an official member of the royal family, glowing and showing off her baby bump at a Christmas Day service in Norfolk, England.
No doubt the queen will be over the moon to welcome her eighth great-grandchild!