Who is Princess Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank? Inside the love story that started during a ski trip
The younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie will be at the funeral of Prince Philip alongside her husband Jack Brooksbank. Eugenie is the younger daughter of the Queen's middle son, Andrew, and his ex-wife Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
Although Prince Philip had a long-standing rift with Fergie, who he had vowed never to end up being in the same room with, he was very close to Beatrice and Eugenie, his granddaughters. Princess Eugenie of York married long-time boyfriend Jack Brooksbank in 2018. The cute couple had a son last month. Here's what's to know about their love story.
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Who is Princess Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank?
Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank is a British bar manager and brand ambassador. He was born on May 3, 1986, at St Thomas' Hospital in Lambeth, London, and is married to Princess Eugenie, a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
The 34-year-old is of royal connections. He is a descendant of the Brooksbank baronets, according to the Telegraph. The British hereditary title of a baronet is directly below that of the baron, with viscounts, earls, marquesses, and dukes above it. He is the eldest son of Old Etonian George Edward Hugh Brooksbank, a company director and chartered accountant, and his wife Nicola (née Newton), great-granddaughter of Sir Arthur Holland.
Brooksbank was the general manager of Mahiki, a nightclub in Mayfair that was often visited by Prince William and Prince Harry in their youth. He now works as a brand ambassador for Casamigos tequila, the liquor brand founded by Hollywood royalty George Clooney and his friends Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, since 2016.
He and Eugenie are distant relations
Eugenie's mother, Fergie, is the great-great-granddaughter of Lady Julia Coke, who is also the daughter of Jack's great-great-grandfather, the Second Earl of Leicester, Thomas William Coke, reports Business Insider, thus making them third cousins once removed. Incidentally, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are also third cousins, having a common ancestor in Queen Victoria.
The wedding will take place in the Autumn of 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor, with further details to be announced in due course. pic.twitter.com/3oL6F6hoYG
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 22, 2018
Long-time lovers
Brooksbank, then 31, began dating Eugenie, then 27, in 2011 after they met while skiing in the Swiss resort of Verbier. It was announced on January 22, 2018, that Brooksbank had proposed to Princess Eugenie during a holiday to Nicaragua.
Fergie shared the news and a sweet photo of the couple on Twitter, saying "Total joy!!". A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Queen and Prince Philip were "very pleased and wish the couple all the best" following their engagement announcement. Eugenie's engagement ring contains a large Padparadscha Sapphire, the rarest of all sapphires, and is perhaps a tribute to her mother, reported the Telegraph. Brooksbank said he chose the ring because, "it changes color when it hits certain lights, much like Eugenie," reported Marie Claire.
The wedding
Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank went on to tie the knot on October 12, 2018. The bride chose a wedding ring made of Welsh gold, said the report, adding that it is custom for royal brides. The tradition is almost a century old and began with the marriage of the Queen’s mother, then Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, and the future King George VI.
The Royal Family's Twitter account shared a statement that read: "The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Eugenie to Mr. Jack Brooksbank." "The wedding will take place in the Autumn of 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor, with further details to be announced in due course," it added. Eugenie's sister, Princess Beatrice was the maid-of-honor, while Thomas Brooksbank, Jack's brother, was the best man. Members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Trumpeter of the Household Cavalry trumpeters provided music for the service.
The guest list included approximately 850 people, according to the Telegraph. An average audience of three million people watched the wedding coverage on ITV, which the BBC reported was the channel's best ratings for the time slot since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 2011 wedding.
Not an Earl
Contrary to speculation surrounding the fact that Brooksbank would be created "Earl of Northallerton", he has not been elevated to the peerage after marrying into the royal family, following a trend in recent years for a male commoner not to be awarded one upon marriage to a princess. Their children, too, will not have titles.
The couple's first child, a son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, was born on February 9, 2021. He is the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's ninth great-grandchild. The couple is understood to have chosen the name August after Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert, whose middle name was Augustus. Hawke is a Brooksbank family name.