Princess Eugenie is expecting her third child, so royal fans have been wondering about the line of succession.
Eugenie, 36, already shares sons August, five, and Ernest, two, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and they’re excited to welcome baby number three later this year.
However, her children won’t be entitled to any royal titles, though her sister Beatrice’s kids could inherit a title.
Eugenie and Beatrice, 37, are both princesses from birth and have maintained their titles even though their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, were stripped of their titles.
But the titles will stop with them because royal rules dictate that only direct grandchildren of the monarch can be granted the title of “Prince” or “Princess”.
This means that Prince William and Prince Harry’s children (Charles’ grandchildren) will be the only ones to inherit the royal titles, in line with tradition.
Eugenie and Beatrice received their titles when the late Queen Elizabeth was on the throne, making them direct grandchildren of the Queen. Now that Charles has acceded to the throne, this doesn’t apply to their children.
However, Beatrice’s children, Sienna, four, and Athena, 15 months, might be able to get titles through their father, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Edoardo is a “Count”, making Beatrice a “Countess”, because his family were part of the Italian nobility before the country became a republic in 1946.
The titles are not officially recognised by the Italian state, but can be used out of courtesy, meaning Sienna and Athena could be referred to as “Countesses”.
“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 nobile donna,” Edoardo’s father, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, confirmed when he married Beatrice in 2020.
“We as a family celebrated 1,000 years in 1985 with unbroken documented archives. We are one of the only families in Italy to have all the records from that period to today.”
Neither Edoardo nor Jack were given titles when they married into the UK monarchy, so Beatrice’s children’s titles will be unrelated to the UK royal family.
How many babies does Princess Eugenie have?
Princess Eugenie already has two sons, and confirmed she is expecting her third child on Monday, May 4.
The Royal Family announced the news on Instagram, sharing a photograph of her sons, August and Ernest, holding her ultrasound scan.
“Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their third child together, due this summer,” the post read.
“His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news.”
The statement added that August and Ernest are “very excited to have another sibling join the family”.
It is not known whether Eugenie is having a baby boy or girl, or when they are due.
Read all about her family here.
Never miss a story! Sign up to New Idea’s FREE newsletter for royal news and exclusives here.
