MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry beamed with delight as the royal couple were handed a toy kangaroo on their first appearance since their pregnancy announcement.

Mum-to-be Meghan looked thrilled as she clutched a cuddly toy Joey given to the royal couple by Australia's Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove in Sydney today.

The Duchess of Sussex exclaimed: "Our first baby gift!" as she cuddled the Joey, while her husband Prince Harry was handed a pair of tiny baby Ugg boots, which he called "awesome".

The gifts came just hours after Kensington Palace announced the Duchess of Sussex was pregnant.

Harry and Meghan were greeted at Admiralty House by flag-bearing representatives from the 18 countries who will be competing at the Invictus Games in the city.

Several of them congratulated the couple on their baby news, with Meghan replying: "Thank you so much. We are very excited."

The dignitaries also presented Harry and Meghan with the Akubras - traditional wide-brimmed Australian hats - which were gifted to them for their wedding in May.

At Taronga Zoo, the couple got the chance to meet Harry and Meghan, two joeys which were named after the couple to mark their nuptials earlier in the year.

Meghan said the koalas were "so, so sweet", while Harry reached to pet one of the animals and asked about their diet and sleeping habits.

The pair also encountered other wildlife at the zoo on the shores of Sydney Harbour, with staff showing off wallabies, quokkas and a short-legged echidna, who seemed very taken by the royal guests.

Meghan told her that next time the couple were in Australia they 'might have our little one with us'PAUL EDWARDS - THE SUN
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Meghan told her that next time the couple were in Australia they 'might have our little one with us'
The duke seemed concerned about the animal's wellbeing in a room full of cameras, asking of its nose: "The snot, is that a good thing or stress?"

"It's OK, he's drooling out of excitement," the scientists told him. "And he's just been fed."

The duke opened the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning before Meghan swiftly switched her stunning nude heels for flat shoes as they walked to the boat.

The couple then got the chance to take in the sights of the city during a ride across the harbour to the Opera House.

There, they spent more than the allotted 20 minutes greeting crowds in the sunshine, with Harry spotting one familiar face in the crowd.

After finding 98-year-old Daphne Dunne in the crowd of around 2,000 people, he said: "I was looking for you earlier and hoped you'd be here, it's so good to see you again."

Mrs Dunne, who saw Harry during his 2015 and 2017 visits to Australia, was able to congratulate both the duke and duchess on their baby news, with Meghan saying that next time the couple were in Australia they "might have our little one with us".

War widow Mrs Dunne's first husband, Lieutenant Albert Chowne, died aged 25 in 1945 during an attack on a Japanese machine gun post in Papua New Guinea.

He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross which Mrs Dunne was wearing when she first met Harry.

Meghan said: "I'm so glad I got to meet you. Harry has told me all about you and your special bond, it's so lovely you came to see us, thank you."

Mrs Dunne said: "It was lovely to meet the duchess, Meghan. Harry is a wonderful man and I'm so happy he had found happiness, they both deserve the absolute world together."

On Wednesday Australia time, the couple will travel to Dubbo in New South Wales where they will celebrate 90 years of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The visit to Australia is their first overseas tour since Harry, 34, married the US television star in May.

The trip will also take the couple to New Zealand and the South Pacific islands of Tonga and Fiji.

Stepping out for her first public appearance since announcing the pregnancy, Meghan showed little signs of a bump as she stunned in a stylish frock by Australian designer, Karen Gee, during the event at Admiralty House.

According to the royal sources, the Duke and Duchess had shared their happy news with the "delighted" Queen and other members of the Royal Family before their departure, at Princess Eugenie's wedding on Friday.

Speculation about the pregnancy had reached fever pitch earlier after Meghan was seen clutching a number of purple folders to her stomach in Sydney in an apparent bid to disguise her baby bump.

Kensington Palace swiftly confirmed these rumours on Twitter this morning, writing: "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019."

They added: "Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public."

Their news came nearly five months to the day that they were married in a lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

Just last week rumours circulated that Meghan was pregnant after she appeared at Princess Eugenie's wedding wearing a long, loose-fitting coat.

The pregnancy announcement five months after their big day has sparked speculation that the royal tot was conceived on their mini-moon to Dublin - or even at a pal's wedding.

Meghan, who found fame playing Rachel Zane in the US drama Suits, has had a successful 12-week scan, meaning her baby could be due in late April, possibly around St George's Day on April 23.