Following Buckingham Palace’s announcement this week (Mon 4 May 2026) that Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank are expecting their third child, here’s a closer look at their 16-year relationship
WORDS: Donna Smiley
In the princess’ own words, it was “love at first sight” when the pair met while skiing in Verbier, Switzerland, in 2010. Eugenie was 20, while Jack was 24.
The exclusive resort has long been a favourite holiday destination for the royals, with Eugenie frequently visiting alongside her mother Sarah Ferguson and sister Princess Beatrice.
“I thought, ‘ ‘What a silly hat!’…Who’s that?’ ” Eugenie recalled in a joint interview in October 2018 with ITV’s This Morning. “And then, [Jack] came over and shook my hand, and I was all butterflies and nervous.
“I remember being like, ‘I really, really like this guy, I really want him to like me too,’ [looking at Jack] and then you gave me this huge windscreen wiper wave, and that was it: ‘Right, he likes me.’”
She later revealed she called her mother straight away to share the news of the man she had just met.
Their first date was a few weeks later at Osteria Basilico in London, where Eugenie ate the “best pasta” she’s ever had.
In 2011, the couple made their public debut at Royal Ascot, one of the most prestigious fixtures in the royal calendar. Eugenie wore a striking red dress, while Jack opted for a top hat and tails.
Their relationship faced a test between 2013 and 2015, when Eugenie moved to New York to work for online auction house Paddle8. Despite the distance, their romance flourished.
“We spend a lot of time on Skype,” Jack said in his first ever interview, in November 2013,with the Daily Mail. “It’s great. We are still very much together.”
Romantic proposal
In January 2018, Jack proposed during a romantic holiday in Nicaragua.
“The lake was so beautiful. The light was just a special light I had never seen,” Eugenie said. “I actually said, ‘This is an incredible moment,’ and then he popped the question, which was really surprising even though we have been together seven years. I was over the moon.”
Later that year, the couple married on October 12, 2018, at St George’s Chapel within Windsor Castle — the same venue where Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle earlier that year. Jack’s brother Tom served as best man.
The couple welcomed their first child, August Philip Hawke, in February 2021, followed by their second son, Ernest George Ronnie, in May 2023, shortly after the coronation of King Charles III.
In 2023, while pregnant with Ernest, Princess Eugenie opened up in a rare interview about how motherhood has changed her life.
“Since August came into my life, it’s positively impacted my desire to do more,” Eugenie told Hello. “Priorities change when you have children; you want to do everything you can for them—and for your grandchildren. August is only two but I hope that what I’m doing will seep through to him and that one day he takes it on, too.”
Sixteen years on, the couple appear to be just as in love as when they first met. “Gosh it’s been 14 years and every birthday gets better as our family grows,” she wrote on Instagram for Jack’s birthday in May 2025. “Best Dada ever and the best memories with so many more to come.”
And on Monday, the Palace confirmed the couple are expecting their third child together this summer.
“His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news,” the Palace said in a statement, adding that their sons, August and Ernest, are “also very excited to have another sibling join the family”.
The royal usually keeps a low profile on social media but announced the happy news on Instagram, posting a sweet photograph of her sons holding a baby scan.
“Baby Brooksbank due 2026!” she wrote, followed by a series of red hearts and a baby emoji.
The new arrival — who will not hold an HRH title — is expected to be 15th in line to the throne, moving ahead of their great-uncle Prince Edward.
