A royals cover story by Australian tabloid New Idea has backfired brilliantly, after Aussies woke to the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expecting a second baby.
In what was clearly a beat-up of a cover story on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry being stripped of their royal titles, New Idea ran with the headline: “Harry and Meghan: It’s all over!” on Monday.
Within the article, the tabloid claimed Queen Elizabeth “is not happy with how Harry and Meghan have been frolicking around the States”.
Shocking stuff, indeed.
However, the magazine hit newsstands hours before an official spokesperson for Harry and Meghan announced that the couple is expecting another child—and likely not splitting up as suggested by New Idea.
Speaking to US-based tabloid People, the spokesperson said: “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.”
Shared to the US tabloid’s official Instagram account, the statement was accompanied by a black-and-white image of the couple, with Harry resting his hand on his wife Meghan’s head as she lays in his lap underneath a tree.
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The New Idea cover headline is a beat-up of the cover story, which is about Meghan and Harry possibly being stripped of their royal titles “once and for all” after leaving Britain for the United States.
After backfiring spectacularly, the story was not shared to New Idea’s social media feed, with the tabloid instead reposting the black-and-white image of Harry and Meghan with the caption: “BREAKING: She’s pregnant! Harry and Meghan expecting second child.”
The happy news for the couple comes after Meghan Markle revealed in an article for The New York Times that she had tragically lost a child to a miscarriage.