‘Total joy’ as Duchess tells of royal wedding
BRITAIN: As men will confirm, the success of any marriage relies in no small part on winning over one’s mother-in-law.
For Jack Brooksbank, who has become engaged to Princess Eugenie, there are no such concerns, as Sarah, Duchess of York welcomed the news with open arms and public messages.
‘‘A total embrace of goodness and joy,’’ she wrote on top of a digital black and white photograph of the couple.
He is, she declared, her ‘‘son, a brother and a best friend’’.
Buckingham Palace announced the engagement yesterday morning in more traditional fashion: ‘‘The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Eugenie to Mr Jack Brooksbank. Mr Brooksbank proposed to the princess in Nicaragua earlier this month.
‘‘Their wedding is to take place in the autumn at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, with further details to be announced in due course.’’
Appearing on BBC’s last night, Eugenie said she had been taken by surprise ‘‘even though we’d been together seven years’’.
Brooksbank described how he proposed on one knee against a backdrop of ‘‘a beautiful volcano’’ when ‘‘the sun was setting’’.
The princess said: ‘‘The lake was so beautiful. The lake had a special light I’d never seen. I actually said this is an incredible moment – and then he popped the question.
‘‘I was over the moon, crying.’’ Following the announcement, a palace spokesman said the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were ‘‘very pleased and wish the couple all the best’’.
Asked about the Queen’s reaction, Eugenie said: ‘‘Granny actually knew right at the beginning ... She was very happy, as was my grandfather.’’
As royal watchers will know, the venue for the wedding matches
"I was over the moon, crying." Princess Eugenie
the choice made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who will marry there on May 19.
Eugenie and Brooksbank will have their wedding paid for privately and intend to move into Ivy Cottage, at Kensington Palace.
The Duke of York, Eugenie’s father, said he was ‘‘thrilled’’, calling Brooksbank an ‘‘absolutely outstanding young man’’ who had got to know his daughter ‘‘over a number of years’’.
The duke said attention would turn to planning for the wedding and ‘‘getting it all organised’’ but ‘‘we can’t fix a date yet; we’ve got to look at everyone’s diaries. It’s a bit more complicated’’.
Brooksbank’s parents, Nicola and George, stated: ‘‘We are completely over the moon and are very excited for them both.’’
No felicitation, however, matched those of the Duchess of York, who posted a series of messages sharing her pleasure.
‘‘Eugenie is one of the finest people I know and so together it will be pure harmony,’’ she tweeted.
In a second post, with a picture of the couple on a boat, she wrote: ‘‘They float with laughter and love ... although a boat helps!’’
A third post stated: ‘‘I always say that the river flows well to it’s [sic] destiny because of the guidance of a solid rock’’ – possibly a reference to the close co-parenting style that the duchess and the Duke of York adopted after their separation.
In formal photographs taken at the palace yesterday, the princess wore a ring described as ‘‘padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds’’ that resembled the ruby engagement ring worn by her mother in 1986.
The couple divorced in 1996, but still live together at Royal Lodge.