ROYAL ENGAGEMENT:
After seven years together, no one was surprised when lovebirds Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announced they’d be tying the knot, least of all the Queen, who was told first, writes Juliet Rieden.
the latest royal love match – Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are set to wed
She’s the eighth (soon to be ninth when the latest Cambridge baby is born) in line to the throne. He’s the UK ambassador for George Clooney’s tequila company, Casamigos, who eschewed university or a career in finance to work as a barman and climb the ladder to make his mark in the Sloane Ranger cocktail club world and run Mahiki nightclub in London. They met skiing in the winter playground of the rich and famous – the Swiss resort of Verbier – in 2010, and despite living at times in different countries have remained utterly devoted.
I’m talking, of course, of Princess Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Sarah, Duchess of York, and Prince Andrew, and her now fiancé, Jack Brooksbank, the son of well-heeled accountant, George Brooksbank, and his wife, Nicola.
The Brooksbank family is descended from baronets and the second Earl of Leicester, with distant relations to
King Edward III and James II of Scotland, so it’s no wonder Jack and Eugenie’s worlds collided.
Although the Princess isn’t part of the pared-back group of royals who work for the House of Windsor carrying out official duties – she’s actually a director at international art gallery Hauser and Wirth, managing events – the announcement came from Buckingham Palace (and then Dad, Prince Andrew, via Twitter), and the stunning engagement photos were taken in “Granny’s” Picture Gallery in the Palace. Eugenie and the Queen have always had a close relationship, and in her post-engagement interview the Princess revealed that Her Majesty was in on the proposed nuptials from the start. “Granny actually knew right at the beginning – she was one of the very few people,” said Eugenie. “We left her this weekend and had a lovely time, and she was very happy, as was my grandfather [Prince Philip].”
Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, never doubted that Jack would win her daughter’s hand, having watched on over the years as he and Eugenie quietly became an incredibly romantic couple. “He’s absolutely tops; really great – I love him,” the Duchess told me when I interviewed her for The ABOVE: The Princess and the Queen have always enjoyed a close relationship, and she was in on the nuptials from the beginning. LEFT: Princess Eugenie and Jack pose for their engagement photo in Buckingham Palace.
Australain Women’s Weekly in Sydney 18 months ago, and rumours were circulating of upcoming nuptials. “And she loves him and they’re very, very happy,” she added.
It’s easy to see why the Duchess was so sure about this union; it was, Eugenie and Jack agree, love at first sight. “We met when I was 20 and Jack was 24, and fell in love. We both had the same passions and drive for life,” revealed Eugenie. And although she knew that one day they would get married, the proposal while they were on holiday in Nicaragua in January still caught her by surprise.
Jack got down on one knee in front of a volcano as they were both gazing across a lake watching the sun setting over the water. It couldn’t have been more romantic. “The lake was so beautiful. The light was just a special light I had never seen. I even said, ‘This is an incredible moment,’ and then he popped the question, which was really surprising, even though we have been together for seven years. I was over the moon,” Eugenie shared.
Jack agreed. “It was amazing… I love Eugenie so much.” Just as amazing is the Princess’s engagement ring. “I found a ring in a jewellers and then proposed to Eugenie without it and came back and we designed the diamonds around this padparadscha sapphire,” explained Jack. “And what’s amazing about it is that it changes colour from every different angle that you look at it, which is what I think of Eugenie… That she changes colour and is just so amazing.” The unusual sapphire is a rare pinky-red colour and the design is similar in colour and style to Eugenie’s mum’s ruby engagement ring, chosen by Prince Andrew.
The wedding on October 12 will be at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the same venue where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry in May, and ever since the announcement, tributes have been flooding in for the popular royal.
Over the years the Princess has become admired for her charity work, and when I spoke to Myrna Whiteson from the Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK, where Eugenie is a patron, she was thrilled at the news. “Our own granddaughter (in Australia) got engaged a short while ago and when Eugenie and Jack’s engagement was announced it felt like another of our granddaughters had told us of her engagement. She was as excited as any other girl in that position, and we felt such joy for her,” says Myrna.
Eugenie and sister Beatrice were introduced to the charity by their mother, and the threesome are powerful advocates for its work. “Princess Eugenie and Beatrice began visiting our hospital units as teenagers,” Myrna tells me. “Princess Eugenie is a naturally warm young woman, quick to smile and go out to put others at their ease. I have had to remind myself at times just how young she is and how difficult it must be to greet our desperately ill patients, but she does so with charm and genuine concern. I can only admire her and acknowledge the good mentor she has in the Duchess.”
Eugenie knows what it’s like to spend time in hospital. As a child she underwent complex and painful spinal surgery and is now an ambassador for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust in London and Middlesex (RNOHT).
“In 2002, when I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with scoliosis [curvature of the spine], and told that I would need corrective surgery. This was, of course, a scary prospect for a 12-year-old; I can still vividly remember how nervous I felt in the days and weeks before the operation.
But my abiding memories of the RNOHT, where the surgery was carried out, are happy ones – everyone there was so warm and friendly.
“During my operation, which took eight hours, my surgeons inserted eight-inch titanium rods into each side of my spine and one-and-a-half inch screws at the top of my neck. After three days in intensive care, I spent a week on a ward and six days in a wheelchair,” explains Eugenie.
She’s now heavily involved in improving the facilities at the hospital. “As a result of her help, the RNOHT is rebuilding, and with the fundraising we will be able to make sure it will be a hospital that will provide worldclass care for all our patients, young and old,” consultant orthopaedic surgeon at RNOHT Professor Tim Briggs tells me.
“The Princess is extremely likeable and easy to deal with and the patients love seeing her. Indeed, she tells patients about her own experience here.”
But the last word has to go to Eugenie’s doting mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, who penned a number of gorgeous tributes to her daughter and son-in-law to be, including this one:
“Dearest Eugenie and Jack The Man, when you walk into a room, you bring smiles to the faces of all who meet you. You both exude kindness, love and goodness. You have beautiful manners and go the extra mile to all who meet you.
“Thank you for always making my day brighter and the laughter and happiness you bring to Papa, Beatrice and myself. The York Family embraces the magic of Jack totally. Exciting times ahead. It is wonderful to see and be part of such great and happy news. Love you both… Mumsie and Sarahs.”
We can’t wait for the wedding.