Princess Eugenie is expecting a second child with husband Jack Brooksbank.
The King’s niece, who is the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, announced the news via an Instagram post.
The post featured a sweet photo of Princess Eugenie with her son, one-year-old August, who appears to be kissing her stomach. The sweet photo was accompanied by a caption that read, “We’re so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer. ”
Buckingham Palace quickly confirmed the news with a statement reading:
“Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pleased to announce they are expecting their second child this summer.
“The family are delighted and August is very much looking forward to being a big brother.”
The new baby will be 13th in line to the British throne, falling one place behind their older brother August and one ahead of Prince Edward, King Charles’ youngest sibling.
The happy news comes during a difficult period for the royals, who have been confronted with both the queen’s death and the release of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, in recent months.
On a much more serious note, it comes almost a year after Prince Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who alleged Andrew’s associate Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her as a teenager and forced her to have sex with his friends, including the royal. (Andrew is attempting to overturn that settlement.)
Princess Eugenie’s family were quick to share their excitement over the announcement, with both her mother and brother-in-law commenting on the Instagram post.
Sarah Fergurson, Duchess of York, wrote “granny heaven” with a heart emoji, while Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who is married to Princess Eugenie’s older sister Princess Beatrice, commented with two heart emojis.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi also welcomed their first daughter Sienna Elizabeth in September 2021.
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank wed at Westminster Abbey in October 2018, and gave birth to their first son August Phillip Hawke in February 2021.
August is named after several of his royal ancestors, including Prince Albert, whose middle name was Augustus. The princess also chose to pay homage to her grandfather, the late Duke of Edinburgh, with the name Phillip.
Only time will tell whether this little one will be inheriting a family name of their own.