NEED TO KNOW
- Buckingham Palace has confirmed Princess Eugenie is expecting her third child with husband Jack Brooksbank.
- Eugenie and Jack are already parents to sons August and Ernest.
- Insiders say King Charles’ approval of the official statement is a major show of support for the York sisters.
- The pregnancy news comes after a difficult period for the York family following Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s fall from grace.
- Sources say the new baby has brought much-needed joy to Eugenie, Beatrice and the wider family.
After a difficult few months, Princess Eugenie finally has something to smile about.
Last week, Buckingham Palace announced that Eugenie is expecting her third child with husband Jack Brooksbank. The statement gushed, “His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news.”
Now, an insider tells New Idea that the fact Eugenie’s uncle, King Charles, approved the official statement is especially telling.
“It’s a clear signal that Eugenie, and by association her sister Princess Beatrice, are still considered very much a part of the royal family,” our source shares.
That monarchal show of support will come as a huge comfort to both of the York sisters, who were left devastated by the fall from grace of their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, due to their association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
That connection forced the King to revoke Andrew and Fergie’s official titles last November, and effectively sent them into exile.
“The palace’s support is very welcome and just what both women needed right now,” our source adds. “It’s almost as if this surprise baby has ‘saved’ the York sisters.”
The first inkling that Eugenie, 36, was pregnant came when she stepped out in London on May 3, sporting what looked like a distinct baby bump.
Eugenie, who is already a mum to sons August, five, and Ernest, two, couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. During the day, she met up with Beatrice, 37, and later celebrated her husband Jack’s 40th birthday at a London restaurant.
The next day Buckingham Palace released the pregnancy confirmation statement, in conjunction with Eugenie’s own Instagram post about the pregnancy, which featured her sons.
The only sadness at this time, our source says, is that Andrew and Fergie, both 66, will have little involvement with the new baby.
They are already keeping their distance from August and Ernest, and also Beatrice’s daughters with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Sienna, four, and Athena, one.
“Eugenie’s devastated her parents won’t be involved in her family life for the foreseeable future, but it can’t be helped,” adds the source.
With Fergie holed up in a Swiss ski resort and Andrew hibernating at Marsh Farm on the remote Sandringham Estate, they are currently “out of the picture”, the source adds.
Despite that sadness, the new baby is a “welcome distraction for Eugenie and Jack”, our insider says. “They – and Beatrice too – are absolutely delighted.”
How does Eugenie’s baby affect the royal line of succession?
Eugenie’s third child will change the line of succession to the British throne.
With the princess currently 12th in line, and her sons 13th and 14th respectively, the new arrival will slot in at 15 – and bump those behind back a spot. Consequently, the Duke of Edinburgh and his children, James, Earl of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor, will follow on.
While Prince Edward is well aware of how the line of succession works, our source says it “must sting a little” that Andrew, his daughters and his growing number of grandchildren still come before him and his own offspring – who have never attracted a whiff of scandal.
Edward and his wife, Duchess Sophie, are “hardworking and utterly loyal to the monarchy, so it’s a shake-up that’s taken a moment to accept,” dishes the source. “But ask anyone – they deserve to come before Andrew.”
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