The news of Princess Eugenie’s pregnancy with her third child with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, has raised eyebrows due to one detail.
The Royal Family took to Instagram on Monday, May 4, to announce the news, and shared a photograph of Eugenie’s two sons, August, five, and Ernest, two, holding an 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 post also said August and Ernest are “very excited to have another sibling join the family.”
However, it failed to mention that “both families are delighted with the news”, which was included in the October 2024 announcement about Princess Beatrice expecting her second child, Athena.
While it might seem like a subtle difference, per Hello Magazine, it’s possible the choice was made due to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and their subsequent fall from grace.
The former couple were mentioned in documents released by the US Department of Justice, though there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing. Amid the scandal, they were stripped of their titles and evicted from the Royal Lodge.
While Andrew was photographed moving into his new residence earlier this year, Fergie went to ground for months on end, vanishing from public life.
However, after seven months, it was revealed that Sarah is staying at an unnamed luxury Alpine ski resort.
According to The Sun, Fergie was staying in a £2,000-a-night ($3,700) ski chalet, amid reports that she was not invited to live with her daughter, Princess Eugenie.
“Fergie has been keeping an incredibly low profile while high up in the Alps,” a source told the publication.
“She hasn’t been publicly photographed for a long time and has clearly wanted to keep it that way.”
The news about Eugenie’s newest addition to the family is a welcome respite during what has been a difficult chapter for the wider York family.
She shared the news on her own Instagram account, with the same adorable photo of her sons holding the baby scan.
She chose Justin Bieber’s song Baby to play over it.
“Baby Brooksbank due 2026!” she wrote, followed by 10 heart emojis.
The new arrival will be 15th in line to the throne, though, like siblings August and Ernest, the baby will not hold an HRH title.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, moves down one place to 16th in the line of succession.
Jack and Eugenie married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in October 2018, having first met on the ski slopes of Verbier during a trip to celebrate her father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 50th birthday.
Their son August arrived on February 9, 2021, followed by Ernest on May 30, 2023.
The exciting pregnancy announcement came just a day after Jack celebrated his 40th birthday, which was a relatively low-key affair given the increased scrutiny on the York family.
Eugenie marked the occasion on Sunday by returning to social media for the first time since stepping back from public life after her father was arrested in February.
Sharing a series of warm family snaps from a beach holiday, she wrote: “Happy 40th my love..” alongside a photo of Jack on the sand, before adding: “Here’s to another 16… xx” alongside a photo of the pair from their early days of dating.
Her new baby will be the fifth grandchild of Andrew and Sarah. At the time of publication, there have so far been no comments from either about their daughter’s happy news.
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