Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall are expecting their second child, Queen Elizabeth II's sixth great grandchild

The royal family continues to expand as it was made official that Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest granddaughter, is expecting her second child. The baby will be the sixth great grandchild of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

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Meanwhile, the baby will be the second for Zara and former England rugby captain, Mike Tindall. According to BBC News, the baby is due sometime in April or May of 2017. The couple already has a daughter, Mia, who will soon turn three. Most will remember her as the cute toddler holding the Queen’s famous black handbag in the royal family portraits for the Queen's 90th birthday.

Since the announcement, the family has received a rain of praises and well wishes. Mike logged onto Twitter to express his gratitude. “Just a quick one today thank you for the messages,” he wrote. “We are very very happy about the little one on its way. 2017 is already starting well!”

Zara, the daughter of Princess Anne, married Mike in 2011. The wedding was an intimate one, attended by close family members and friends, and was held in Edinburgh. And while the day was still well documented by various media outlets, it was definitely more laid back than the televised nuptials of Kate Middleton and Prince William.

Mike waited outside the church with his ruby teammates and Zara opted to wear an off-the-peg dress. No politician was in sight on that day, but there was no shortage of noteworthy guests. The pews were filled with royal family members, as well as the most popular personalities of sport, acting and television.

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Zara decided to legally stick with her maiden name due to her success as a world champion equestrian. The year after her wedding, the eldest granddaughter of the Queen helped Great Britain win a silver medal at London 2012. However, she was unable to make the British Equestrian Federation’s nominated rider list for the Rio Olympics.