Prince Laurent of Belgium and his British-born wife Princess Claire are celebrating the birth of their first child, a baby girl, the royal palace has announced.
Princess Louise Sophie Mary came into the world at a Brussels hospital on Saturday, weighing in at 7lbs 8oz and measuring 21 inches. Both mother and daughter are doing well, and have already been visited by King Albert and Queen Paola, as well as Nicole Coombs-Mertens, Claire's sister.
The little princess, the monarch's eighth grandchild, is 11th in the line of succession. Belgium's royal family has seen a year of new additions, welcoming Prince Gabriel, son of Crown Prince Philippe and Crown Princess Mathilde, last August. The king and queen's only daughter, 41-year-old Princess Astrid, gave birth to her fifth child, Laetitia Maria, last April.
Prince Laurent, 40, and 30-year-old Claire Coombs wed last April, and the princess' pregnancy was confirmed five months later. |
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