An august choice for princess’s baby (with a nod to his great-grandfather)
August Philip Hawke meets the world, as his parents pick names that chime with both families
AS PRINCESS Eugenie herself would testify, there are many advantages to being bestowed an unusual name.
So much so in fact, that she has continued the York family tradition by making a similarly unique choice for her newborn son.
The Princess, 30, introduced her baby to the world yesterday, revealing he had been named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
Wrapped in a blue blanket with matching knitted hat, the 11-day-old slept soundly through his unofficial photocall, clutching his mother’s finger while being cradled in the arms of his father, Jack Brooksbank, 35.
The couple’s choice of name follows the increasing tendency of Royal family members outside the direct line of succession to veer away from traditional family names.
Most recently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex opted to call their son Archie, while Zara and Mike Tindall dall named their daughters Mia and Lena.
When the Duke and Duchess of York revealed led their younger daughter’s name in 1990, it took many by surprise. It was inspired by one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.
Princess Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank, a tequila brand ambassador, also followed the modern tradition of making the announcement via social media.
The couple posted three photographs on the Princess’s Instagram page shortly before 10.30am, writing: “We wanted to introduce you to
August Philip Hawke Brooksbank. .
“Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts earts are full of love for this little human, words can’t express. We are excited to be able to share these photos with you. ” They added that the images were taken by their “wonderful” midwife, as they thanked essential workers “including our midwife who came to discharge our boy”.
Just over an hour later, Sarah, Duchess of York, 61, published a message of her own, writing: “As grandparents, the Duke and I are thrilled and blessed at the arrival of our grandson August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
“He is a beautiful blessing and a bringer of such love and joy to all our family. I am so proud of Jack and Eugenie, they are and will be wonderful parents.”
The message marked the first public acknowledgement of their grandchild and, notably, came from the Duchess’s own account, rather than via Buckingham Palace, as the Duke, who turned 61 on Friday, remains ousted from official duties due to the ongoing fallout from his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In a later post on Instagram stories, the Princess revealed that her son had been named after his great-great-greatgreat great-great-grandfather great grandfather Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, whose m middle name was Augustus.
The choice of Philip was mad made as a tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, who remains under observation at King Edward VII’s hospital, having been admitted on Tuesday evening after falling unwell.
The Princess said: “On his grandfather’s birthday weekend, thinking of my grandfather, we are introducing our little boy. He is named after his greatgrandfather and both of his great x5 grandfathers.”
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said the decision to include the name Philip would be seen as a “mark of respect” as the Duke approach his 100th birthday. Hawke is a Brooksbank family name. Reverend Edward Hawke Brooksbank, born in 1789, was Mr Brooksbank’s greatgreat-great-great paternal grandfather. August is said to be popular with millennial parents, increasingly so after it featured in the novel Wonder by R J Palacio, which was made into a film starring Julia Roberts in 2017.
It is also used as a girl’s name, meaning “majestic, venerable” in Latin.
Augustus was a Latin title given to Roman Emperors, meaning “to be revered,” but could also be a nod to the baby’s aunt, Princess Beatrice, whose birthday month is August. The Princess gave birth on Feb 9 at the private Portland Hospital in central London, where she was born herself in 1990.
She reportedly had a C-section due to her previous spinal surgery for scoliosis and was discharged three days later, waving to photographers as they drove home as a family of three.
August is the Queen’s ninth greatgrandchild and the Duke and Duchess of York’s first grandchild. He was born 11th in line to the throne but following the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s second child, due in early summer, he will move down to 12th place.
The young family is thought to be living at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, after striking a deal with the Sussexes, to whom they are close and who retain the property as their UK base.