INSIDE THAT OTHER ROYAL WEDDING!
Royal news Buckingham Palace celebrates Princess Eugenie’s romantic engagement
As the sun set on one of the final days of their Nicaraguan holiday, Princess Eugenie and her boyfriend of seven years Jack Brooksbank took in the glorious view of the lake before them.
“The lake was so beautiful,” Eugenie, 27, recalls. “I actually said, ‘This is an incredible moment’, and then he popped the question.”
A delighted Eugenie said yes immediately to Jack, 30, with the couple excitedly calling family members to break the news.
“Granny actually knew right at the beginning,” reveals Eugenie, who says the Queen was thrilled to learn another grandchild will be walking down the aisle this year. “She was very happy, as was my grandfather.”
While an exact date is yet to be set, the couple have already begun planning their dream day and will wed at St George’s Chapel – the same venue as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May!
However, wine merchant Jack says his fiancee will be the one in the driving seat.
“I’m not sure I’ll get a word in edgeways,” he jokes.
The pair, who met on a skiing trip in Switzerland, designed the stunning engagement ring together. Jack picked out a ring with a padparadscha sapphire – a unique jewel with a mix of red and yellow – but waited for their return to the UK for Eugenie to help set the diamonds around the striking stone.
“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,” says the smitten groom-to-be. “That she changes colour and is just so amazing.”
Eugenie’s parents the Duke and Duchess of York have been quick to share their joy.
Prince Andrew, 57, is “completely overjoyed” Jack will be joining his family, stating he is “an absolutely outstanding young man”.
And proud mum Fergie, 58, has inundated Twitter with candid snaps of the happy couple, declaring her “total joy” over the impending nuptials.
The wedding is set to be the first official royal event Fergie has attended since her 1992 split with Andrew.
As mother of the bride, she will no doubt play a role, as will Eugenie’s older sister Princess Beatrice, 29.