Cressida Bonas, who spoke publicly about her struggle to conceive her first baby, has some happy news.
Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend is pregnant with her second child, reports Mail’s Diary editor Richard Eden.
The 35-year-old actress, who married property investor Harry Wentworth-Stanley in 2020, says she used an embryo she had frozen.
“I’m well into my second pregnancy now,” she says. ‘After we became pregnant the first time through IVF, we were lucky enough to have an embryo left in the freezer.’
Cressida, whose son Wilbur is two, reveals this has been a difficult pregnancy. “I have morning sickness,” she says. “I’ve never had it before and now I feel like I’ve been rocking on a boat for months.”
The couple, who live in west London, are now looking for a larger home. “A growing family means a need for more space,” Cressida writes The spectator magazine. ‘Our apartment is for sale and we are house hunting.’
She says their dachshund, Budgie, “probably won’t be impressed” by the move. “Not only are we uprooting her territory, but a new family member is coming and she senses it.”
In 2022, Cressida described how she felt like “my body was failing me” after experiencing difficulties conceiving, and when a specialist told the couple “there was nothing fundamentally wrong.”
Cressida Bonas (pictured), 35, an ex-girlfriend of Prince Harry is pregnant with her second child
To write The Sunday timesshe said, “I’ve spent time and money on reflexology, nutritionists, acupuncture and psychics… Even a German healer who speaks to angels. I heard nothing, not a beep.
‘My mind was constantly confused and my obsession with getting pregnant became overwhelming. No matter how many Mystic Megs I watched or expensive supplements I took, nothing worked and I felt like my body was letting me down.”
Cressida admitted that she ‘avoided’ her loved one’s children’s parties because she felt out of place with her friends who had children, amid the struggle to get her own children’s parties.
She went on to say that IVF “scared” her in the first place because she had no “power” over the final outcome.
Unfortunately, Cressida’s struggle to conceive is far from the only challenge she has faced in recent years.
On July 22, 2024, the actress’ half-sister, Pandora Cooper-Key, died of cancer at the age of 51.
Cressida and her husband Harry Wentworth-Stanley had their first child, Wilbur, two, through IVF. The actress revealed that they had another embryo stored in a freezer
The mother-of-two was first diagnosed with the disease 24 years ago and had battled several types of cancer over the past two decades.
Ten days after Pandora’s death, her family announced that she had died following the discovery of an inoperable brain tumor.
Cressida played a key role in a memorial service for Pandora that took place on Friday, September 19, 2024, paying an emotional tribute to her ‘dear sister’.
“My heart is forever connected to yours,” the actress said of her ceramicist sister.
Cressida was joined at St Luke’s church in Chelsea, west London, by Pandora’s friends, including Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles and her cousin Sir Ben Elliot.
Cressida wore a pastel pantsuit and read a moving ‘letter to Pandora’ she wrote after her death.
The sisters’ mother, Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon, paid tribute, saying: ‘No one on earth who has ever met Pandora can help falling in love with her.’
In an interview with MailOnline just months before her untimely death, Pandora said her family had planned her funeral ‘thousands of times’.
Pandora Cooper-Key (left) and Cressida Bonas (right) pictured hugging each other at Wimbledon in 2016
At the end of 2023, she was told that she had an inoperable brain tumor.
The artist repeatedly underwent immunotherapy in the hope that she would recover, but was told after her latest news that this was not an option.
A report in The Times announcing her death called her a “beloved daughter,” “adored mother,” “dearly loved sister” and “devoted aunt.”
Sarcoma UK, a charity she supported, said on a fundraising page: ‘She was a beautiful spirit and an inspiration to so many.’
Kerry Reeves-Kneip, director of communications at Sarcoma UK, added: ‘Her openness about her journey has helped raise vital awareness about sarcoma and the challenges patients face.
“Pandora’s legacy extends far beyond its fundraising efforts; she touched countless lives with her warmth and resilience.
‘On behalf of everyone at Sarcoma UK, I extend our deepest condolences to Pandora’s family, including her mother, Lady Mary, her sister Cressida Bonas, her two sons and all who loved her.
“We are extremely grateful for the difference Pandora has made to our organization and to others affected by sarcoma.
“We at Sarcoma UK will honor her by continuing our mission with renewed determination. Pandora’s kindness, courage and indomitable spirit will remain in our hearts forever.”
After her diagnosis, Pandora continued to work for Vivienne Westwood as a handbag designer for ten years before leaving to have her first child.
Just five weeks after giving birth, she was given the devastating news that she had a sarcoma in her left eye and sinus area.
Sarcomas are malignant tumors that are so rare that a general practitioner can only expect to see one or two in their entire career.
There are approximately 4,630 soft tissue sarcomas and 670 bone sarcomas diagnosed in the UK each year.
She was given just ten months to live as doctors feared her condition had worsened after she underwent surgery to remove the affected tear duct. It was later discovered that her scans had been misinterpreted, and she was in the clear.
But this was soon followed by the devastating news that Pandora had another tumor in her cheek, which was successfully removed, as well as one at the back of her nose.
In 2016, she went through a phase where she suffered several seizures, sometimes resulting in her losing consciousness for a week.
But while battling the disease, Pandora started a ceramics business, Curzon Blue, just two years ago after falling in love with glassware at Portobello Market.
The name has a heartfelt meaning, along with a touching nod to her mother.
“It’s called Curzon Blue because my mother’s maiden name is Curzon and her fourth husband created a cocktail called Curzon Blue,” she said at the time.
‘It’s really delicious and you’ll lose weight in no time. It just felt like a really fun thing to do to integrate my two great backgrounds.”
During her battle with several tumors, despite feeling weak, Pandora continued to work on her business and shared her love for glassware both on her website and Instagram.
To the end of her life, she still traveled to the markets in search of glass for her business, and said it brought a sense of relief to her health struggles.
Pandora is survived by her two sons, whom she had with TV producer Matthew Mervyn-Jones before they split.
Even months before her death, Pandora remained positive as she praised her “amazing” family.
She said in March: ‘I say new day, [I’m] very grateful, I have a lot, [let’s] get started [and] keep it up. I think staying positive and staying on the path of positivity has been my saving grace.
‘My family has been very supportive of me. We are like rocks to each other. Without it I would feel lost [them].
‘My mother is wonderful. She’s a real queen bee to all of us and my relationship with my sisters and my brother is just… we would do anything for each other.
‘We tease each other a lot, but we really love each other.
‘I can’t imagine not having such a nice family, I don’t know how people deal with it. It was really nice for me to have them all and honestly they wouldn’t leave me alone.
“When I got out of the hospital, the doorbell rang constantly.”