Unlike other royal babies, Princess Beatrice's will have a posh title

Britain's Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, are expecting their first child together.

Beatrice is the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson (aka Fergie), and the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth.

The queen is said to be “delighted” with the happy news, which will bring her tally of great-grandchildren to 12 before the year is out.

The baby is due in Autumn, which will be spring time in SA.

Here are five other things to know about the upcoming addition to the royal family:

1. PART OF A BABY BOOM

There have been a flurry of British royal babies born this year.

Beatrice's sister, Princess Eugenie, and her cousin, Zara Tindall, welcomed sons in February and March respectively.

Meanwhile her cousin, Prince Harry's, second child is due any day now. 

2. NOT AN ONLY CHILD

Mapelli Mozzi has a young son called Christopher Woolf with his ex-partner, Dara Huang. This will make Wolfie, as the little boy is nicknamed, a big brother when the new baby arrives.

3. SPOT IN THE SUCCESSION

As the great-grandchild of the British monarch, the baby will be 11th in line to inherit the throne.  

4. POSH ITALIAN TITLE 

Mapelli Mozzi's father, Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, is an Italian count.

Speaking ahead of his son's wedding to Beatrice last July, the elder Mapelli Mozzi told The Mail on Sunday: “Edoardo is the only male descendant taking the family into the next generation. He is a count — his wife will be a countess automatically and any of their children will be counts or donna nobile (noble woman).”

This means unlike Eugenie's son or Tindall's children, this baby will be born with a posh courtesy title — but that doesn't mean his parents will opt to use it. 

Beatrice and her husband could follow the lead of Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in this regard.

As Harry is a Duke, his son Archie could have been styled as a Lord, but was presented to the world as a plain old Master Mountbatten-Windsor.

5. NO BRITISH ROYAL TITLE

Though Beatrice is a princess, her child won't be a prince or princess. Why not? It's complicated, but it all comes down to a Letters Patent issued by King George V in 1917.

This decree states that the only one of the British sovereign's great-grandchildren who qualifies for a royal title is the oldest son of the Prince of Wales’ eldest son. That's now Prince George, who is Prince William's son and Prince Charles' grandson.

Read more about how royal titles are granted here.