With just three weeks to go until their October 12 wedding, Princess Eugenie and her fiancé Jack Brooksbank have been ticking off the last to-dos on their checklist and holding final planning meetings in Windsor.
Despite some criticism over the cost of the wedding—the security bill is estimated to be roughly £2 million, while Eugenie’s wedding party will reportedly exceed £100,000—Eugenie is said to be “hugely looking forward to her wedding day,” according to a source who described the bride as “cool as a cucumber” ahead of the ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
The source, a family friend, also sheds some interesting new light on why Eugenie, the ninth in line to the throne, is going all out on her wedding day. Apparently, Brooksbank, who is the U.K. brand ambassador for Casamigos tequila, and Eugenie had agreed to get married months before they officially announced their engagement this past January.
“It’s my understanding that Eugenie and Jack decided some time ago that they wanted to get married, and there was some talk about a wedding in 2017, but they had to wait for Harry to go first,” according to the source. “The feeling among the Yorks is that she deserves her moment in the spotlight and a big royal wedding with all the frills.”
Reports suggested in August 2016 that Eugenie and Brooksbank had planned to get engaged by the end of that year, but there was no announcement. At the time, Harry was dating Meghan Markle, and by the spring of 2017, there was talk of a royal engagement. With Harry being sixth in line to the throne, royal protocol meant that when he did announce his engagement, in November, it took precedence over his cousin's possible wedding plans.
According to the source, Eugenie and Brooksbank had to wait to announce their own happy news. “There are no bad feelings at all,” the source insists. “Eugenie is very close to Harry, and she knows how the system works.” When the couple announced their engagement, they said the formal proposal had happened in Nicaragua earlier in the month.
And though Eugenie’s wedding may not come with the same international media frenzy that surrounded Meghan and Harry’s, it will be bigger by attendance numbers. The couple have invited more than 850 family and friends to the wedding at St. George’s Chapel—the same location where Meghan and Harry were married—and the seats will be re-arranged to accommodate the congregation.
There will also be substantial star power, even if Oprah is likely to sit this one out. Eugenie is one of the best-connected royals, and counts a host of A-list stars as close friends. As well as the Beckhams and the Clooneys (George is a co-founder of Casamigos), the couple has invited Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field, Ellie Goulding, James Blunt, and Sir Elton John.
The Queen is hosting a champagne reception at St. George’s Hall on the grounds of Windsor Castle, while the Duke and Duchess of York are hosting a lavish two-day party at the family home, Royal Lodge. Sources at Buckingham Palace say that Prince Andrew was particularly keen for Eugenie to be afforded a carriage procession, despite the security bill.
The prince has long pushed for both his daughters to have more high-profile roles, despite resistance from Prince Charles, who wants the monarchy to be streamlined and for the princesses to be private individuals. Andrew, however, wanted the wedding to be televised, just like Harry and Meghan’s. The BBC has turned down the exclusive rights, while ITV is reportedly in talks to air the wedding as a special event with coverage throughout the morning and afternoon. It will take place at 11 A.M. on October 12, which is 6 A.M. in New York—yet another early morning for American royal watchers.
