Fans of the royal family are in for a treat this year – not one royal wedding, but two!
Princess Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Jack Brooksbank, the royal family has announced.
“The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Eugenie to Mr Jack Brooksbank,” Eugenie’s parents announced in the UK on Monday. Her Royal Highness and Mr Brooksbank became engaged in Nicaragua earlier this month.
“The wedding will take place in the autumn of 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, with further details to be announced in due course.”
It’s the same chapel as will host the wedding of Prince Harry and his popular American fiancee, Meghan Markle, in May.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman told the BBC that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Princess Eugenie’s grandparents, were “very pleased and wish the couple all the best”. The palace later released an official engagement photograph of the happy couple.
The princess’ lovely engagement ring holds a padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds, in a circular style similar to that of her mother’s engagement ring. The rare peach-coloured stone is one of a type of sapphire usually found in Sri Lanka, the BBC said.
A very happy Eugenie told the BBC’s The One Show that the proposal from her boyfriend of seven years was a “perfect moment” while they overlooked a lake on holiday this month.
“The lake was so beautiful. The light was just a special light I had never seen. 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,” she said. “I was over the moon … We couldn’t be happier.”
Her fiance, 31, is a nightclub manager who met the princess while skiing in Switzerland. He revealed that he chose the ring without Eugenie’s input but returned with her to the jeweller to select the diamonds.
“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,” he said to The One Show.
The Duchess of York expressed her delight over the engagement with a series of joyous tweets.