The British monarch`s grandson Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn - whose daughter Savannah was born last December - are expecting their second child in March and the queen and Prince Philip are said to be "delighted".

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "The queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, as well as Autumn`s family, have been informed and are delighted with the news."

Peter - who is 11th in line to the throne and is the son of the queen`s daughter Princess Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips - married Canadian Autumn three years ago.

The pair met in 2003 in Montreal, Canada - but at the time Peter kept his royal connections a secret, seeing "no reason" why she should be told.

Autumn only discovered her boyfriend was the queen`s grandson six weeks into their relationship when she spotted him in TV footage of his cousin Prince William`s birthday - and checked his name on the internet.

Peter and Autumn live in Hong Kong where Peter works for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
sections: Celebrities