Exclusive: Made in Chelsea stars Sam and Alice Vanderpump welcome first baby Marmaduke

Made in Chelsea stars Sam and Alice Vanderpump are parents, HELLO! can exclusively reveal. The proud new mum and dad welcomed a baby boy Marmaduke – who they plan to call Duke for short – at the Kensington Wing of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Monday, 9 February.

 The proud new parents have revealed the first glimpse of their new son in a beautiful image they exclusively shared with Hello! In the photograph, Sam and Alice hold hands with their newborn baby boy, who is wearing an adorable knitted top bearing his name. The couple chose to call him Marmaduke as it was a favourite name of Sam’s late father, Mark, who died in 2018 at the age of 59.

© Best Quality Designer Handbag

The couple got married in a small, intimate ceremony in London at the end of last year which was exclusively covered in HELLO! magazine. And they told us how Duke made his presence felt on the day. "When we first sat down before the ceremony, he started kicking," Alice recalled.

The new Mr and Mrs Vanderpump wanted to tie the knot while Sam's health was still good - he was recently diagnosed with irreversible end-stage liver disease, with his life expectancy limited to four to five years without a transplant, for which he is now on a waiting list - and before their son was born. 

"We all want to have the same last name before Duke comes," Sam explained. "Fingers crossed I get a liver transplant quickly but we don't know when that's going be and we didn't want to wait to get married."

© Sophie Cranston

They have spent the time since their wedding getting their new three-bedroom Chelsea apartment ready for the arrival of their son. "I'm very excited to be a dad," Sam, who runs a currency business, told us last year. "I can't wait, it's a whole journey I'm so excited for."

It's been a rollercoaster year for the couple. Sam, 28, and model Alice, 24, only began dating in July 2024 and got engaged eight months later, having weathered Sam’s health battle in between. But through it all, they have had each other.

"I've always had a sense of security from day dot with Alice," Sam said of his new wife. "She always made me feel so secure and comfortable and so happy. I hope I've always done the same for her."