An innocent meet-cute. A long distance relationship that lasted years. The joy
and challenge of starting a new family. Princess Eugenie
and Jack Brooksbank have come a long way over the last decade.
The happy couple met at Verbier — a super posh ski resort in the Swiss Alps that's
known for drawing the "it crowd" to its slopes for epic winter getaways. In fact,
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice frequently visited Verbier for ski trips with their parents,
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, when they were young. Fast forward to 2010,
and the youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York meets her soulmate on the same slopes.
Eugenie told This Morning that it was "love at first sight"
when the two spotted each other. Upon elaborating on their first encounter,
Eugenie joked about how she perceived Jack Brooksbank. She said:
"I thought 'What a silly hat' and I thought 'Who's that?' and
then you came over and shook my hand and I was all butterflies."
The princess later expressed to the BBC that they had deep compatibility. She said:
"[We] fell in love. We have the same passions and drive for life."
The Royal Ascot is a swanky British affair that on occasion draws many royals and
socialites within the U.K. During the summer of 2011, the tabloids reported
that Princess Eugenie attended the famous horse-racing event with her new boyfriend
Jack Brooksbank — whom they identified at the time as a "waiter," according to the Daily Mail.
The high-society event was one of the first public outings for the new couple,
and it was a valuable time for Brooksbank to meet and fraternize with members of the
royal family in the Royal Enclosure — an invitation-only part of the racecourse.
After more than three years together, the couple embarked on a new phase in their relationship:
the long-distance chapter. In 2013, Princess Eugenie hopped across the
pond to work in New York City at the online auction house Paddle8.
Initially, friends of the couple noted that Eugenie was hesitant to make the
move because she didn't want to be separated from Jack. However, like a good boyfriend,
he encouraged her to go after her dreams. He also visited Eugenie in New York,
making every effort to show that their relationship was a high priority despite
them living in separate places. During their time apart, they relied heavily on
phone and video calls to maintain their connection. Jack told the Daily Mail:
"We spend a lot of time on Skype [...] It's great. We are still very much together."
Overall, Eugenie and Jack are a great example of a couple supporting each other in an effort to
grow individually while also maintaining a serious long-distance relationship.
After a few years overseas, Princess Eugenie moved back to London in 2015 to start
working as the associate director for the Swiss contemporary-art gallery Hauser & Wirth. Though
this move was career-oriented on the surface, she also obviously wanted to get back to Jack.
In 2016, Eugenie gave the public a peek into her daily life with a personal interview for
Harper's Bazaar. Touching on what a typical night looked like with Jack, she said:
"When I'm with Jack, we watch 'The Walking Dead,' which we're obsessed
with. Maybe 'Game of Thrones' is our next thing."
Sounds like a regular couple!
In the fall of 2016, the royals' trip to the legendary Scottish castle Balmoral
served a variety of functions. Firstly, Prince Harry was hosting a bird hunting party for his
32nd birthday. Secondly, former Prime Minister Theresa May was visiting. And last but not least,
Eugenie and Jack hoped to get the Queen's formal blessing for their
engagement. According to Express, an insider at Balmoral was quoted saying:
"You could call this weekend a rite of passage for Jack. There is no way he would be invited to
stay with the Queen unless he was being welcomed into the royal fold and the bosom of the family."
Since she was not among the top six royal members in line for the throne,
Eugenie did not officially need the Queen's permission to get married. Still,
Eugenie reportedly had a great relationship with the Queen and most likely wanted to
get her official blessing prior to her taking the next step with Jack.
The duo attended Pippa Middleton's spring nuptials in Berkshire at St. Mark's Church on May 20th,
2017. Photos from the wedding show Princess Eugenie wearing a smart,
dark blue dress paired with a cream hat and navy blue high heels with red and cream accents.
Over the course of the event, the two were seen getting quite affectionate toward each
other , which set the media buzzing about when the couple would seal the deal. Earlier that year,
there were rumors swirling that the couple had already gotten engaged; Eugenie had been seen out
in public with a band on her left ring finger. However, the couple later denied the claims.
After seven years together, Jack finally proposed to Eugenie near a lake in Nicaragua.
Shortly after the proposal, the couple had their first TV interview together.
"It was, like, it was a perfect moment. We couldn't be happier
because we knew it was going to end up this way. Yeah."
Jack explained how he proposed with a rose padparadscha sapphire,
but wanted to wait to design the rest of the ring with Eugenie's input. He said:
"I didn't want to do anything until Eugenie had signed off on it."
The ring also has personal symbolism as it has a certain quality that
reminds Brooksbanks of his bride-to-be. He said:
"Why I loved it so much is because it changes color from
every different angle that you look at it — which is what I think of Eugenie."
In traditional royal form, the royal family celebrated Easter church services at St.
George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. What made this day special was that it officially marked
the couple's first joint public appearance as an engaged couple. The 28-year-old princess
escorted her new husband-to-be with other family members and attendees. Taking part
in traditional royal events is a staple when joining this high-society family, and Jack
seemed to fit in like a true blue blood. Among the attendees of the service included Prince William,
Kate Middleton, Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Peter Philips, Autumn Phillips, and the Queen.
Despite some drama related to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving after
the Queen — which is considered a big royal no-no — everyone else seemed in
good spirits and happy to have Jack join the clan.
The much-anticipated royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drew an impressive
guest list from A-list Hollywood celebrities, such as Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney along
with English legends like Elton John and James Blunt. But we cannot forget about the
family who also made the guest list — like Harry's cousin Eugenie and her fiancé Jack.
As Eugenie and Jack attended the widely televised ceremony,
they probably couldn't help but think about their own upcoming nuptials — since their
wedding was scheduled to take place later that same year, in the same venue. Additionally,
many noted the overt similarities between Harry's wedding and his cousin Eugenie's wedding plans.
But even though there are comparisons between the two weddings, a friend of
Eugenie previously told People that there is "zero competition" between the two couples. They said:
"It is complete love, and there is room for all of them."
Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank got married in
St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It was a ceremony of royal proportions and a
life-changing experience for the couple. The princess wore a breathtaking custom gown by
Peter Pilotto [pill-AH-toh] and Christopher De Vos [day-VAHS]. Prince William and Kate Middleton's
daughter Princess Charlotte was a bridesmaid while their son Prince George was a page boy.
Besides their family and friends,
the couple allotted 1,200 spots to the public to watch the ceremony.
"And in the name of the father…"
"And of the son…"
"And of the holy ghost…"
"Amen…"
Afterwards, the bride and groom participated in a traditional carriage procession throughout the
streets of Windsor. Their big day was filled with merriment and joy as the
celebrations continued throughout the day with a lunch reception,
followed later by a black-tie reception, and finally a festival-type event the following day.
First comes love, second comes marriage, third comes…well, you know the rest. Babies! Two years
after the couple wed, Princess Eugenie and Jack announced that their family would be
growing. On Instagram, Eugenie shared the news with her followers by posting an up-close shot
of her and Jack holding a pair of fuzzy baby bear slippers on the first slide and
a picture of the couple posing together and smiling on the second slide with the caption:
"Jack and I are so excited for early 2021…"
While 2020 proved to be a difficult year due to the coronavirus pandemic,
it appears that it was also a special time for Eugenie and Brooksbank as they began to prepare
themselves for becoming parents and welcoming a new bundle of joy into their home and hearts.
Princess Eugenie gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on February 9th, 2021. According to the royal
announcement, he was born at Portland Hospital and weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces. August Philip Hawke
Brooksbank was born the ninth great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of
Edinburgh, and the first grandchild of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and Prince Andrew.
After his birth, Eugenie posted a black and white photo on Instagram,
and later a photo of the couple holding their son and introducing him to the world. The post read:
"We wanted to introduce you to August Philip Hawke Brooksbank. Thank you for
so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human,
words can't express. We are excited to be able to share these photos with you [...] Thank you
to the wonderful essential workers including our midwife who came to discharge our boy."
August does not officially hold a royal title because,
even though his mother Eugenie is a princess, royal titles only run through the male lineage.
The British couple has decided to embrace the international lifestyle. Earlier in 2022,
Princess Eugenie and Jack announced they would be moving outside of their native
U.K. to beachier pastures. The two will be living part-time in Portugal to accommodate
Jack's new job with Discovery Land Company. They will travel as a family between Britain
and Portugal depending on their work schedules. Eugenie is expected to remain at her post at
Hauser & Wirth working on a semi-remote basis, according to Town & Country.
The couple has even moved out of their Frogmore Cottage into
Discovery Land Company's newest luxury project — CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club in Melides,
Portugal. With access to the stunning beach and a plethora of fun activities to enjoy like yoga,
horse riding, and golf, the young royal family has a lot to smile about.