Princess Beatrice Is Pregnant! Royal Expecting Second Child with Husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their second child!

Beatrice, the granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth and daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, announced her pregnancy in a palace statement on Oct 1. Beatrice, 36, and Edoardo, 40, are already parents to daughter Sienna Elizabeth, who was born in September 2021. Beatrice, who is due in early spring, is also a stepmother to Edo's son — Christopher Woolf, known as "Wolfie" — from a previous relationship.

"Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child together in early spring; a sibling for Wolfie, aged eight, and Sienna, aged three," Buckingham Palace said in the statement.

Beatrice’s uncle, King Charles, also shared his joy over the announcement. "His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news," the statement continued.

The palace also released two new photos of Princess Beatrice and her family. In one image, Beatrice and Edoardo share a warm embrace, both smiling from ear to ear. In the second, Edoardo and his son Wolfie hold hands with Sienna as the family enjoys a stroll through a scenic woodland path.

Beatrice's mother, Sarah Ferguson, shared her joy over the news in an Instagram post, writing, in part: "A very proud GiGi/Mum today. Such an incredible blessing and an embrace to my heart. Wolfie, August, Ernie and Sienna will be over the moon to have the fifth member of the five aside!"

Ferguson also shared unseen photos of Beatrice with her daughter, Sienna. "Our family is growing, and so too is the love that surrounds us. I cannot wait to meet this little one and to share in all the wonderful memories we will make together," she wrote.

Speculation about Princess Beatrice and Edoardo's relationship began in November 2018. "Edoardo is a friend of Beatrice's family," a source told PEOPLE around that time. Edoardo proposed to Beatrice during a trip to Italy in September 2019, and they scheduled their royal wedding for spring of 2020.

While the U.K. was in lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo officially put their wedding on hold.

In a surprise, the couple opted for a private wedding at Windsor Chapel in front of 20 close friends and family members, including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

"The private wedding ceremony of Princess Beatrice and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi took place at 11 a.m. on Friday 17th July at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor," a statement from Buckingham Palace said. "The small ceremony was attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and close family. The wedding took place in accordance with all relevant Government Guidelines."

"It was very private, intimate and romantic," a source told PEOPLE. ​​"It was planned for some time, and everyone had to be extremely cautious leading up to the big day because the Queen was in attendance. They had to make sure everyone who was attending was in perfect health."

In May 2021 — just a few months after Beatrice's sister Princess Eugenie welcomed her first child, son August Philip Hawke — Princess Beatrice and Edoardo shared that they were expecting a baby. On September 20, Buckingham Palace released a statement announcing that Beatrice gave birth to her daughter.

Beatrice, whose parents are Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, revealed on Twitter that the couple named their daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, paying tribute to Beatrice's grandmother Queen Elizabeth. "We are all doing well and Wolfie is the best big brother to Sienna," she wrote in the tweet, alongside an image of her daughter's footprints.

Edoardo shared the same image on Instagram with a lengthy message to his family. "Our life together has just begun, and I can't wait to see all the amazing things that await us," he wrote. "Feeling so much love and gratitude for my amazing wife, baby Sienna and Wolfie. These are the days I never want to forget. This week, a friend said to me the sweetest saying …. that with every child you grow a whole new heart 💖."

Fergie, as Beatrice's mother is affectionately known, opened up about becoming a "granny" in a 2021 open letter to her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie for Good Housekeeping.

"Every day I thank the universe for allowing me to be your mother," wrote Fergie. "You have always been the blood in my veins. From the time you were wee tots, you made my life complete. I look at how full of humility, laughter and joy you are in your hearts, and I marvel at you both. Now, in you as mothers, I see strength, courage and steadfastness, integrity and goodness, and the way you embrace every challenge and moment. It is an extraordinary feeling when your child becomes a mother."

She continued, "Suddenly my little girlies have their own little ones ... such a feeling to get used to. But if I do cry or tear up as you drive away, it is only because I am so proud of you. It has been just us for 33 years, but now you are creating your own families, and I couldn't be happier for you both and my magnificent sons-in-law, Jack and Edo."