Have you had a royal wedding-sized hole in your heart since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, tied the knot back in May?
You’re in luck! There’s another royal wedding on the horizon: This fall, Princess Eugenie of York, Prince Harry’s 28-year-old cousin and ninth in line to the throne, will marry her commoner fiancé, Jack Brooksbank.
Eugenie and Brooksbank got engaged in Nicaragua in January after seven years of dating. A month later, Eugenie’s father, Prince Andrew, revealed that the wedding will take place on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. (Yep, the same venue Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose.)
Here’s a photo of the couple beaming when they announced the big news back in January:
Now that you know the basics, let’s run down everything else you need to know about the happy couple and the second-biggest royal wedding of the year.
Eugenie’s husband-to-be has a pretty sweet occupation.
Who’s the lucky fellow? Jack Brooksbank, a 32-year-old Brit who serves as the U.K. ambassador for George Clooney and Rande Gerber’s tequila brand, Casamigos. (We know what they’ll be serving at the reception, at least.)
The pair were introduced by friends during a ski vacation in Verbier, Switzerland, and have been together seven years.
Eugenie’s fiancé is a commoner but he is a descendant of the Brooksbank baronets, according to The Telegraph. (A baronet is a title just below baron.) The son of an accountant, Brooksbank was educated at a posh British school and grew up among the upper class. He’s also a man of the people, though: Brooksbank worked in the restaurant and bar industry for years, serving as a bartender and nightclub manager in London.
By the sound of it, he definitely has his future in-laws’ seal of approval.
“Jack is an absolutely outstanding young man and Eugenie and he have got to know each other over a number of years, and I’m really thrilled for them,” Prince Andrew said following the engagement announcement. “I’m just completely overjoyed for them and wish them every happiness.”
The engagement ring is a stunner.
Eugenie’s engagement ring contains a peach-hued padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds. Some have noted that the princess’ engagement ring bears a striking resemblance to the one her father Prince Andrew gave to her mom, Sarah, Duchess of York, in 1986:
Fergie is deeply involved in the wedding planning process.
Speaking of Fergie, the Duchess of York is said to be deeply involved in the wedding planning process. And just like her ex Prince Andrew, she’s a big fan of Brooksbank. In an interview with the BBC’s “The One Show,” Fergie called her future son-in-law “the best,” and even snuck a little Casamigos plug into the conversation.
“The good news [about the wedding] is that Jack works for Casamigos Tequila, so I’m perfect,” she joked. “He’ll just hand me the tequila and say: ‘Come on, mother-in-law, down it!’”
Eugenie’s sister, Beatrice, will serve as the maid of honor.
In an interview published in British Vogue’s September issue, Eugenie confirmed that her her older sister, Beatrice, will serve as her maid of honor. Beatrice, 30, gave her little sister props for handling the lead-up to the wedding with so much ease.
“Euge is amazing,” she told the magazine, adding, “She’s a very modern bride.”
The venue will look very familiar.
Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before them, Eugenie and Brooksbank are exchanging vows at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. They’ll also embark on a carriage ride (albeit a shorter one) through the streets of Windsor and back into the castle.
In keeping with royal tradition, Queen Elizabeth, Eugenie’s grandmother, will host a post-ceremony lunchtime reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle.
The wedding will be environmentally friendly.
In her British Vogue interview this month, Eugenie said she plans to have a plastic-free wedding. (Hey, we weren’t expecting dinky plastic cups or utensils at a royal wedding, anyway.)
“My whole house is anti-plastic now — and Jack and I want our wedding to be like that as well,” the princess said.
Makes sense; Eugenie is an ambassador for Project 0, a group whose aim is to restore and protect the ocean. Reducing single-use plastic is one of its main objectives.
Eugenie already has a dress in mind, but mum’s the word on who’s designing it.
The wedding dress designer is still unknown, but Eugenie did reveal one big detail to British Vogue.
“I’m not telling anyone who is making it, but I can say it is a British-based designer. [The dress] is the one thing that I was really decisive about,” she said. “As soon as we announced the wedding, I knew the designer, and the look, straight away. I never thought I’d be the one who knew exactly what I like, but I’ve been pretty on top of it.”
Harper’s Bazaar speculates that Erdem will be the label behind Eugenie’s bridal look. The princess wore the designer for her engagement photo shoot, and wore the same dress during a 2016 magazine shoot. Plus, it ticks the box of being a British label.
The wedding might not be televised like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s.
Don’t bust out your fake tiaras and little Union Jacks just yet: There’s been no official announcement that the wedding will be televised at this point, so planning a viewing party may be moot. It’s less likely to be broadcast than Prince Harry’s nuptials were because Eugenie isn’t a “working royal” who carries out official engagements. Plus, she’s ninth in line to the throne, so she might be keeping it a little more casual.
In any case, the royal family seems keen to embrace social media, so we’re bound to see some clips from the wedding on Instagram and elsewhere. (And of course, we’ll be keeping a close eye at Eugenie’s personal account as the wedding approaches.)
Their titles aren’t likely to change much.
Eugenie will keep her royal title when she marries Brooksbank, and will have the option to take her husband’s surname, the BBC reported.
Unlike Meghan Markle, who became the Duchess of Sussex after her wedding, Jack will reportedly not be receiving a royal title — he’ll simply be known as “Mr. Brooksbank.”
There will probably be some famous faces in attendance.
Both Eugenie and Jack are extending invitations to the public ― 1,200, to be exact ― to join in on the wedding revelry. There are bound to be some celebs on the guest list too, though.
Newly engaged couple Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling will likely make the cut; the couple are frequently spotted on double dates with Eugenie and Jack, including a recent Knicks-Nets basketball game.
Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Cressida Bona was a surprise guest at his wedding, and she’ll likely be back for Eugenie’s; she’s one of the princess’ closest friends.(It was reportedly Eugenie who introduced the actress to Harry years ago).
And since Brooksbank is employed by George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila company, we’d place bets that George and Amal will be invited, just as they were to Prince Harry’s wedding.
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