Spain's future queen is pregnant

Spain's media is giving blanket coverage to the news

Princess Letizia, the future Queen of Spain, is three months pregnant with her first child, the Royal Palace has announced.

Letizia Ortiz, 32, married Crown Prince Felipe, 37, in May last year, shortly after the Madrid train bombings.

The baby, due in November, will be second in line to the throne after the prince, who is King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia's only son.

The palace said the King and Queen wish "to express their great happiness".

Constitution change

If the child is a girl, she will be in line to the throne after any sons that Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia might have in the future.

Under the Spanish constitution, the eldest male automatically succeeds, even if he has an older sister.

However, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has pledged to change the law, saying it discriminates against female royals.

SPANISH ROYAL COUPLE Letizia Ortiz, 32, divorced and former TV anchorwoman Crown Prince Felipe, 37, heir to throne Letizia Ortiz first ever commoner in line to be queen First Spanish-born future queen in a century

The couple took Spain by surprise when they announced their engagement in November 2003.

The crown prince's romance with a woman who was a well-known television presenter and a divorcee had been kept a secret.

King Carlos said the pregnancy was "great news".

Prince Felipe's sister, Princess Cristina, the second daughter of King Carlos and Queen Sofia, is also pregnant and expected to have her fourth child at the beginning of the summer.