Princess Eugenie shares personal message as Sarah Ferguson faces new blow

Princess Eugenie has returned to Instagram to celebrate a special occasion. The 36-year-old royal - who welcomed her third child in August - celebrated her eighth wedding anniversary with husband Jack Brooksbank on 12 October. 

And she marked the happy event with a sweet video of Jack cradling their baby daughter Adelaide with a heartfelt message: "Happy 8 years married my love," she wrote. "What you cant hear in this video is Jack asking our daughter!" she added. 

Eugenie and Jack's family

Eugenie and Jack are proud parents to three children. They welcomed their first son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, on 9 February 2021, followed by their second little boy, named Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, who was born on 30 May 2023.

Their daughter Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank was born on 3 August 2026 at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, where the family live on a part-time basis. 

"Adelaide" was partly inspired by Maria Adelaide of Portugal and William IV's wife, Queen Adelaide. However, there is a subtle connection to Prince William and Princess Kate, too, as the royal couple used to reside at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

The baby's middle name, "Elizabeth," is notably a tribute to Eugenie's late paternal grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Many royal family members have Elizabeth as their middle name, including both of Princess Beatrice's daughters. While the meaning behind her other middle name, "Annina," has yet to be revealed, it could be a nod to Princess Eugenie's friend, Annina Pfuel.

Eugenie's third baby announcement

Princess Eugenie took two weeks to announce her daughter's name to the world, taking to Instagram to write: "2 weeks ago today we welcomed our girl to the world. And since then we've had the most special, cosy and love-filled time. 

"We are so happy to share Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank. Named after three people we love and admire, past and present, including her great-grandmother, who we hold close in our hearts. Her name is part of English and Portuguese history, two places we love and call home. Augie and Ernie are already the best big brothers."

Eugenie's life in Portugal

Eugenie broke with tradition and gave birth in Portugal, clearly showing her love for the country where she spends half of the year. In 2022, Jack accepted a role with the Discovery Land Company, based at the CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club in Portugal, and since then, the family has had a base there.

Her children adore it too, and when Eugenie spoke to HELLO! in 2024, she revealed: “They love swimming. The sea in Portugal is a little bit rougher. So we've got our feet in, but Augie is a fish. He literally loves it and we have whales and dolphins all across the walls.”

Eugenie and Jack's wedding day

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding took place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Oct. 12, 2018, and came just a few short months after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot at the same venue.

Around 800 guests attended the ceremony, including the bride's royal grandparents, the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip,  as well as some  of the couple's celebrity friends, including Demi Moore, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Ellie Goulding, Ricky Martin, and Cara Delevingne.

Princess Eugenie's wedding dress secret

Eugenie kept the details of her wedding dress a secret leading up to the big day, only revealing that the dress would be made by a British designer.

"As soon as we announced the wedding, I knew the designer, and the look, straight away," she told British Vogue. "I never thought I'd be the one who knew exactly what I like, but I've been pretty on top of it."

Eugenie actually chose two designers, Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, the founders of the British-based label Peter Pilotto. 

They had never made a wedding dress before, but Eugenie, Peter and Christopher worked closely together to design the long-sleeved gown,  which featured a neckline that folded around the shoulders, a low V-shaped back and a ground-sweeping train. 

The low-back design was a special request from Eugenie to reveal her scar from the surgery she had at 12 years old to correct her scoliosis.

"I had always wanted a low back — part of it was showing my scar and I believe scars tell a story about your past and your future, and it's a way of getting rid of a taboo," she said in an audio guide for the exhibit "A Royal Wedding: HRH Princess Eugenie and Mr. Jack Brooksbank" at Windsor Castle. 

"For me, it's a way of communicating with people who are going through either similar situations with scoliosis or having a scar of their own that they are trying to deal with."

Eugenie and Jack's engagement announcement

The royal family announced the couple's engagement on 22 January 2018. Eugenie and Brooksbank dated for seven years before getting engaged while on holiday in Nicaragua. 

In an interview with BBC 1's Matt Baker on the One Show, Jack said he proposed to Eugenie without a ring because he "didn't want to do anything until Eugenie had signed off on it".

But he had picked out a padparadscha sapphire before the proposal, and when the couple returned from their trip, they designed the ring together.

"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," Eugenie told host Matt. "I was over the moon. [It was a] complete surprise. But it was the perfect moment, we couldn't be happier."

The princess met the former manager of Mayfair club Mahiki on a skiing trip

"We met when I was 20 and Jack was 24 and fell in love," she said. "We have the same passions and drive for life."

Jack described it as  "love at first sight". "I love Eugenie so much and we are just so happy and over the moon for what is to come," he said.

The princess added: "Granny actually knew right at the beginning [of the engagement]. She was very happy as was my grandfather."

Sarah Ferguson suffers new blow

The former Duchess of York has  been keeping a low profile since losing her titles alongside her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after they became mired in the Epstein scandal.

Sarah, 66, has only been spotted on a handful of occasions at locations across Europe, although - according to reports - she is due to move into a rented £10,000-a-month gated property in the Home Counties imminently. 

But she is likely to continue to stay off grid. Sarah's absence from the spotlight has done little to quell the public's opinion - and now she appears to have suffered another blow as a result of her connection to Epstein.

A plaque commemorating Sarah's association with Great Ormond Street Hospital has mysteriously disappeared, prompting speculation that the disgraced ex Duchess has been dropped by another charity.

The grey slate plaque featured gold lettering and was fixed to the wall of a special hostel for the parents of sick children at Great Ormond Street. It commemorated the fact that Sarah - as the then-Duchess of York - had opened the 'Home from Home' in 1990.

But, as first reported by the Daily Mail, there is now just an outline  of the plaque, and two holes in the brick wall it was placed on. HELLO! has reached out to Great Ormond Street Hospital for comment.