cheers to the next royal wedding
Royal wedding bells will soon be ringing once more. Marion McMullen checks out plans for the big day
THE Queen’s granddaughter is marrying tequila brand-ambassador Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on October 12. Her father Andrew, the Duke of York, will walk her down the aisle and the bride and groom will take a carriage ride through Windsor after the ceremony, but will not travel along the Long Walk like Harry and Meghan did when they married in May.
EUGENIE’S big sister Beatrice is her maid of honour. The sisters are very close, but had their worst ever *ght when one stole the other’s Converse trainers, they revealed to British Vogue magazine.
THE 28-year-old bride is ninth in line to the throne. She is an associate director of an art gallery and also patron of several charities including the Teenage Cancer Trust. She was named after one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, Victoria Eugenie of Battenburg. Her husband-to-be calls her “Eug,” her mother Sarah, Duchess of York, calls her “Eugie Boogie” while to her friend Cressida Bonas she is “pooch face.”
THE wedding celebration is said to be lasting two days beginning with the church service, day reception and evening reception on the Friday and continuing with further festivities throughout Saturday. The bridge and groom are committing to having an environmentally friendly wedding by making it anti-plastic.
SOME 800 guests – 200 more than at Harry and Meghan’s nuptials – will gather at the chapel and attend the afternoon reception afterwards. The reception is being hosted by the Queen in St George’s Hall. Around 1,000 members of the public have been given balloted invites to the castle’s Lower Ward, as have charity representatives, children from Eugenie’s old schools and Royal Household staff.
THE taxpayer will foot the bill for the police presence at the wedding and the inclusion of a carriage ride will increase the security costs. The security operation for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding, above, cost £30 million and involved more than 3,000 police oMcers.
EUGENIE underwent back surgery to correct a scoliosis condition when she was 12 and she is now patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. She has posed for fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar and listed chips, Diet Coke and cashew nuts as her indulgences and vodka soda with lime as her favourite tipple.
JACK Brooksbank is the European brand ambassador for Casamigos Tequila, which was co-founded by actor George Clooney. The 32-yearold Stowe-educated gent used to be the manager of Mayfair hotspot Mahiki. He has admitted it was love at *rst sight when he was introduced to Eugenie on a ski trip to Verbier.
EUGENIE is close to both her parents, who divorced when she was a child. She calls her mother “Mumsy.” Prince Philip has never forgiven his former daughterin-law for embarrassing the royal family in the wake of her split from Andrew, above. The wedding will be the first time they have been in such close proximity for many years.
EUGENIE’S engagement ring consists of a padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds. Royal brides are traditionally given wedding rings made from gold nuggets from Clogau St David’s mine at Bontddu in North Wales. She may follow in the footsteps of her mother and wear the York diamond tiara on her wedding day.