Prince Josef-Emanuel of Liechtenstein and his wife, Princess Claudia, have revealed they welcomed their second child, who is a new addition to the Liechtenstein Royal Family
A royal couple has revealed they have secretly welcomed their second child in a surprise Instagram post.
Princess Claudia, the wife of Prince Josef-Emanuel of Liechtenstein, took to social media to post a string of photos of their newborn son, who was born last month.
The couple, who married in 2022, were already parents to another son named Leopold – and posting snaps of their newborn online, Claudia revealed their new baby had been named Nikolai. He is a new addition to the Liechtenstein Royal Family. It comes after reports Princess Beatrice’s original name was ‘rejected by Queen for being too yuppie’.
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In one snap, the infant can be seen sleeping in a knitted yellow cardigan, while in another, he wears a blanket with the name ‘Nikolai’ stitched in it. A third photo showed the baby being cradled by his mum.
Prince Josef-Emanuel is the son of Prince Nikolas of Leichtenstein, the brother of the country’s reigning monarch, Prince Hans-Adam. His mum is Princess Maragretha of Luxembourg – the sister of Luxembourg’s reigning monarch, Grand Duke Henri.
He moved to the UK in his younger years, attending Sandhurst’s Royal Military Academy before joining the Irish Guards. At Trooping the Colour in 2010, he was selected to present the flag of his regiment to the late Queen.
Josef-Emanuel married his wife, Claudia, also known as Cloclo, a Colombian socialite, in a glittering ceremony in Cartagena in 2022, with several royals attending, including Queen Camilla’s niece, Ayesha Shand.
The couple’s happy news comes after another royal couple also welcomed a surprise new arrival earlier this year. In January, Princess Maria Laura of Belgium and her husband William Isvy, welcomed their first child, a son named Albert.
Baby Albert’s arrival was something of a surprise to royal fans; Maria Laura and William did not reveal they were expecting prior to the birth. The Belgian Palace announced the birth, alongside a sweet snapshot showing the little boy lying asleep in a cream jumper.
The new royal was named after his great-grandfather, Albert II of Belgium, who reigned as King from 1993 until his abdication in 2013.
Baby Albert is now 11th in line to the throne, but made history as the first Belgian royal not to have been awarded a title.
Princess Maria Laura is the niece of King Philippe and the second child of Princess Astrid of Belgium, Philippe’s younger sister. She has been married to her husband William – a British investment banker – since 10 September 2022.
They tied the knot in a civil ceremony in Brussels, followed by a religious celebration at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula a day later.
Maria Laura was raised away from the royal spotlight and grew up in Bazel, Switzerland, until the age of five as her father worked for an international bank.
Along with her four siblings – Prince Amedeo, Prince Joachim. Princess Luisa Maria and Princess Laetitia Maria – she was raised away from royal duty and rarely appears at public engagements.