Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are expecting their third child, a revelation that coincided with Brooksbank's 40th birthday and marked Eugenie's return to social media after what was widely noted as a lengthy absence.
Eugenie marked her husband's milestone with a series of Instagram stories, including a sunny beach photo captioned 'Happy 40th my love.' A second slide showed Brooksbank playing with their son August on the sand. A third featured a throwback image of him in a sombrero, with the caption 'Here's to another 16... xx' — originally posted around 2011 and reposted for the occasion.
The posts were Eugenie's first Instagram activity since her father Prince Andrew's arrest in February. According to reports, the images were briefly uploaded, removed, and then reposted with slightly altered captions, drawing attention from royal watchers. According to reports, a final photograph was a recent smiling beach selfie of the couple.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that Eugenie and Brooksbank are expecting their third child this summer, adding that King Charles is 'delighted' and that sons August and Ernest are 'excited.' The palace also confirmed that the princess shared a photograph of the two boys holding a baby scan picture, an image that was widely circulated. Royal experts note that the new baby will not hold an HRH title and will be 15th in the line of succession, pushing the Duke of Edinburgh to 16th place.
According to reports, the forthcoming child will be the 15th great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and the third born since her death in 2022. The pregnancy announcement came shortly after the couple was seen enjoying a date night at Dorian Restaurant in Notting Hill last Thursday, per multiple outlets. The new addition will also be Prince Andrew's fifth grandchild, following the birth of Princess Beatrice's daughter Athena in January last year, as noted by royal observers.
Eugenie and Brooksbank married in October 2018 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and first met in March 2010, according to reports. They are parents to two sons: August, whose birth was announced on February 9, 2021, and Ernest, born on May 30, 2023, as confirmed in statements at the time. The family has largely kept a low profile, splitting time between the UK and Portugal.
He is the brother I have always wished for.
Brooksbank is the son of George Brooksbank, an Old Etonian chartered accountant, and Nicola, with aristocratic lineage through his great-great-grandfather Viscount Thomas Coke, the 2nd Earl of Leicester. He was educated at Stowe school in Buckinghamshire, whose alumni include Richard Branson and John Sainsbury.
Before his marriage, Brooksbank was known as 'barman Jack' and cultivated a party lifestyle. He once celebrated his 21st birthday with a naked stripper, before meeting Eugenie. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, in remarks to the Daily Mail, described Brooksbank as a person who turned partying into a full-time pursuit in his younger days.
Today, Brooksbank serves as an ambassador for Casamigos tequila, a brand co-owned by George Clooney. However, Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that Brooksbank is reportedly far less social, a shift he attributes partly to the couple's relocation to Portugal. According to the same source, the ongoing scandal involving Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson has made this a difficult time for Brooksbank to celebrate his birthday, with the shadow of the Epstein affair muting the occasion.
Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that the renewed focus on Epstein has revived memories of the partying years of Princess Eugenie and her sister Beatrice, raising questions about how their lifestyles were funded. In 2009, when Eugenie was 19, the princesses visited Epstein in Florida with their mother Sarah Ferguson, shortly after his release for child sex trafficking offences. The nature of that visit remains unclear but has drawn public scrutiny.
Both Eugenie and Beatrice have been named in the Epstein files, as reported by multiple media outlets. A 2010 email from Sarah Ferguson to Epstein contained a reference to what some have described as a 'wild weekend' for Eugenie, according to reports, though sources have questioned the exact wording. Despite the controversy, Fitzwilliams emphasized to the Daily Mail that both princesses are involved in charitable work, although he noted that Eugenie has stepped down from her role with Anti-Slavery International.
In other correspondence, Ferguson praised Epstein extensively. According to emails, she referred to him as a brother she always wanted, and in a 2010 message, she expressed devotion and even joked about marriage. Later, in 2011, emails signed 'Sarah' and mentioning 'The Duke' congratulated Epstein on the birth of a son, according to documents.
I am at your service. Just marry me.
The correspondence also shed light on Ferguson's financial ties to Epstein, including apparent requests for money, as noted in reports. However, the BBC has reported that the emails do not indicate any wrongdoing. Prince Andrew has consistently denied any involvement in Epstein's crimes, according to statements from his representatives.
Following a controversial 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew stepped back from public life, according to widespread reports. A photograph circulated widely that appeared to show Andrew kneeling on his hands and knees over a woman on the ground, according to reports. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, alleged that Andrew sexually assaulted her when she was a minor.
Andrew denied having sex with Giuffre and settled her civil lawsuit out of court without admitting liability. In January, a second alleged victim of Epstein came forward after the latest release of court documents, as reported by multiple outlets. On February 19, his 66th birthday, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he sent confidential documents to Epstein; he denies wrongdoing.
King Charles subsequently stripped Andrew of his royal titles, and he is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, according to a royal family statement. According to reports, he was also served notice to surrender his lease on Royal Lodge and will move to alternative private accommodation. Thames Valley Police confirmed the arrest of a man in his sixties from Norfolk, and King Charles later acknowledged it was his brother.
Royal sources say King Charles has expressed concern and full support for the investigation into Andrew's conduct. In April 2025, Virginia Giuffre died by suicide at age 41, as reported by international media. According to social media commentators, Eugenie and Beatrice have faced public criticism over their parents' links to Epstein and the sisters' associations.
Fitzwilliams also told the Daily Mail that there are rumours of strain on Princess Beatrice's marriage to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, though no concrete evidence has emerged. He predicted that more embarrassing information may be released as the Epstein investigation continues, and that Jack's 40th birthday will remain a low-key affair. Meanwhile, Princess Eugenie was seen in public twice that week: at a wedding in Sicily and having lunch with Beatrice in London on Saturday, according to multiple reports.