Monaco's Princess Charlene pregnant with first baby

Princess Charlene of Monaco, who married Prince Albert II in 2011, has announced she is pregnant with the couple’s first baby.

The 36-year-old South African former Olympic swimmer and her husband issued a statement expressing their “immense joy” at the news.

The short statement says that the birth is expected before the end of the year. Although it does not elaborate, this implies that the style-conscious princess is at least three months pregnant.

Until the baby is born, the Monegasque heir remains Princess Caroline - Albert’s older sister – and then her eldest son, Andrea Casiraghi, who has recently become a father himself.

Since her marriage, Charlene is styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco. The previous holder of the style was her husband’s mother, Grace Kelly, who died in 1982.