British royals Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward and are expecting their second child. The couple already have one daughter, three-year-old Lady Louise Windsor, who was born four weeks premature in 2003.A Palace spokesperson says, "The Earl and the Countess are both thrilled and excited. The Countess will continue with engagements as normal and take doctors' advice."Sophie, 42, married Prince Edward, 43, in June 1999 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor after announcing their engagement five months earlier. The Countess suffered an almost life threatening eptopic pregnancy in 2001 when the foetus developed outside of the womb.She was airlifted to hospital and had a two hour operation to remove the foetus and a fallopian tube. She suffered further problems with her second pregnancy in 2003 when with six weeks to go she was rushed to hospital where she had to undergo an emergency caesarean.

This will be the Queen's eighth grandchild.

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