Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may not have a baby next year for this reason

17 September 2018, 11:10

Bookies are predicting a royal baby for 2019, but hold your royal horses...

Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married in May, royal fans have been eagerly awaiting a pregnancy announcement.

But we might all have to wait a little bit longer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to welcome their first child.

This is because Meghan and Harry will be visiting Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands of Fiji and Tonga from October.

While this may not sound like a problem, both Fiji and Tonga have experienced outbreaks of the Zika virus in recent times, which can very harmful to pregnant women and their babies.

Health officials have warned people not to conceive at least six months after visiting any country at risk of the virus. Zika can be passed down from the mother to the baby in the womb.

While the risk level in both Fiji and Tonga is moderate, going to these countries while pregnant could still pose a risk.

However, bookmakers have still slashed the odds of the couple announcing their first pregnancy next year to 1/4. Some people have even placed bets on the baby's name and gender, with odds for Olivia being reduced from 14/1 to 10/1.

Harry and Meghan did at least recently welcome their first dog together a few weeks ago, a black lab named Oz.