Margaret is pregnant

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 May 25, 1961

Princess Margaret is expecting a baby in the fall, according to a statement today from Kensington Palace, where the Princess and her husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones live.  The baby will be fifth in line to the throne after Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Princess Margaret.

The announcement included the statement that the Princess, Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, "would undertake no further official engagements."  It is understood, however, that the Princess will attend the wedding next month of her cousin, the Duke of Kent, to Miss Katharine Worsley at York Minster.

The baby is expected in late October or early November.  Mr. Armstrong-Jones has no title, and his wife's official title is HRH Princess Margaret, Mrs. Armstrong-Jones.  Her child could "acquire a title" if Princess Margaret was given a peerage in her own right "or if her husband or the baby were similarly honored by royal edict."

The princess' condition had been a well-kept secret in Britain.   She had "recently appeared at more public functions and ceremonies than at any time since her marriage."  But there were no "hints or speculation" in the British press.