To Monaco, an heir

It's the news that Monaco has been waiting for.  As their third wedding anniversary approaches, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene have announced they are expecting a baby.  The child will be first in line to the throne and give the principality its longed for heir.

The Prince and Princess of Monaco are expecting their first child 

The baby is due before the end of the year although no further details of Princess Charlene's pregnancy have yet been announced.  The couple were last seen in public at a dinner in Monte Carlo on May 26th but there was no hint of a pregnancy announcement being imminent.  The news comes on the 70th anniversary of Albert's grandmother, Charlotte, renouncing her rights to Monaco's throne in favour of her son, Rainier, and the day before the 91st anniversary of Rainier's birth.

When the secret was still just theirs - Albert and Charlene meet Grand Prix workers ahead of the Monaco race 

It means that, for the second time, Princess Caroline will be displaced as heiress to the throne of Monaco.  She is currently the second oldest first in line in Europe but the arrival of a baby prince or princess will mean that Monaco has the youngest heir on the continent.  And that, after a long wait, Albert and Charlene of Monaco will have a family of their own.