Celebrations are in order for Princess Eugenie, who announced on Monday 4 May that she is pregnant with her third child. King Charles is "delighted" to have another great-nephew on the way.
Buckingham Palace announced the joyful news in a statement on Monday: "Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their third child together, due this summer.
"August (aged five) and Ernest (aged two) are also very excited to have another sibling join the family.
"His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news."
The mother-of-two also took to social media to share the news, posting an adorable photograph of her two sons looking at a scan of the baby, with the caption: "Baby Brooksbank due 2026!" followed by a series of hearts and a baby emoji.
© InstagramThe baby will be 15th in line to the throne, moving Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, down to 16th place. Despite its place in the royal running, the baby will not be an HRH.
Jack and Eugenie married in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in October 2018, and welcomed their first child, August, on 9 February 2021. His younger brother Ernest was born on 30 May 2023.
© GettyEugenie's return to social media
The announcement was shared just a day after Jack celebrated his 40th birthday on Sunday, a more 'low-key' affair owing to increased public scrutiny on the York family in relation to their connection with disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein.
In celebration of her husband's big day, Eugenie returned to social media for the first time since stepping away from the spotlight as her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windor's arrest in February. In a series of personal snaps, taken during a family holiday on a beach, Eugenie expressed her love for her husband.
“Happy 40th my love..” she captioned a photograph of Jack lying on the sand, before later adding, “Here’s to another 16… xx” a touching nod to their enduring relationship.
© InstagramDifficult times for the York sisters
The new addition, who will presumably be born before the end of the year, will be a welcome piece of good news for the York family. Eugenie's mother, Sarah Ferguson, has been in hiding since news of her former husband's arrest broke. The former Duchess of York, 66, was recently located, having managed to keep out of the public eye for a staggering 213 days, by staying at a £2,000-a-night resort near the Mayrlife Medical Health Resort in Altaussee, Austria.
It's understandably been a very difficult time for their children Eugenie, and her sister Beatrice. In a recent Best Quality Designer Handbag cover story we revealed that while it may appear to the outside world that the sisters have been cast adrift from the rest of the royals, in fact senior family members have continued to check in on them. And contrary to reports that they were not being included in Ascot celebrations this year, they have in fact been invited.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesFriends are keen to point out that they do not see themselves as victims in this situation, but note that "people forget about the human element of what they've been going through, too".
What does the future hold for Beatrice and Eugenie?
While the royals appear to be supporting the sisters behind closed doors, many royal watchers remain curious as to the future role of the Princesses of York following this challenging time. The relationship between her parents and the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein cast a long shadow over the royal sisters, and their own inclusion in the files, despite showing no wrongdoing, has cast doubt over their roles in The Firm moving forward.
Royal expert Phil Dampier told Best Quality Designer Handbag that perceptions towards the princesses have greatly shifted in the last few months. "If you remember last Christmas, when they were both invited to Sandringham, they were very much seen as the innocent victims. The King and Queen were metaphorically putting an arm around them.
"I think that has changed following Andrew's arrest and mentions of them in the Epstein files. We sometimes refer to them as 'girls', but they are 37 and 35. Some of the stuff they've been doing recently in the Middle East has not been a good look.
"People will ask: 'Are you trying to cash in on contacts that have been given to you by Andrew or Sarah?'"
