Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank have named their son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, Buckingham Palace have confirmed.
The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, 30, welcomed her first child, who is 11th in line to the throne, with Jack on February 9 at London’s Portland Hospital. The couple were pictured leaving the hospital three days later on February 12.
The new mother revealed the name today and shared her first family picture with her son – the Queen’s ninth great grandchild – which is thought to have been taken in the grounds of Frogmore Cottage, where the couple are currently living.
Posting a series of photographs on Instagram, the Queen’s granddaughter wrote: ‘Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can’t express. We are excited to be able to share these photos with you.’
Eugenie went on to reveal the name was a touching tribute to Queen Victoria’s Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, and Prince Philip, who is currently in hospital, writing: ‘On his grandfather’s birthday weekend, thinking of my grandfather, we are introducing our little boy. He is named after his great grandfather and both of his 5x great grandfathers.’
Sarah Ferguson reposted the photographs on her Instagram page and, in her first comments since Eugenie’s birth, revealed she and Prince Andrew are ‘thrilled’ over August’s arrival.
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank have named their son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, Buckingham Palace have confirmed
The new mother, 30, confirmed the name on her Instagram page and shared her first family picture with her son alongside husband Jack (left, and right)
She added that the photograph was taken by their ‘wonderful midwife’, adding: ‘Thank you to the wonderful essential workers including our midwife who came to discharge our boy.’
Royal expert Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said the decision to include the name Philip is likely to be seen as a ‘mark of respect’ as he approaches his 100th birthday.
He said: ‘I would have been surprised if Philip hadn’t featured somewhere, given not so much the fact that Eugenie’s grandfather is in hospital but the fact that, all being well, he will celebrate his 100th birthday in a few months.’
The first name of August is one which will ‘attract a lot of interest’, Mr Little said.
He said there is also a derivation of August in the royal family dating back to the 18th century, with the first Duke of Sussex – Prince Augustus Frederick.
Prince Augustus, who was born in 1773 and died in 1843, lived in Kensington Palace. He was an eccentric son of King George III and his two marriages were deemed illegal.
In the first photographs of the family-of-three, Jack cradled newborn August in his arms while Princess Eugenie could be seen fawning over him
He became the Duke of Sussex in 1801 but as his children from his first marriage were not recognised, he died without a legitimate heir.
Mr Little said royals who are further down the line of succession generally have ‘much freer reign to choose names that they like rather than they feel that they need because of the status of their newborn’.
The Duke and Duchess of York’s unusual choice of name for their second daughter was a bit of a talking point when Eugenie was born in 1990.
‘There was quite a lot of interest when Eugenie’s name was announced because that was quite unusual as well at the time,’ said Mr Little. ‘These names come and go fashion-wise.’
The name is thought to be a nod to Princess Eugenie’s grandfather, Prince Philip, who is currently in hospital (pictured, at Princess Eugenie’s wedding in 2018)
Pronounced ‘Yoo-junnee’, it was inspired by one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, and the princess goes by the nickname ‘Euge’.
In the photographs, Princess Eugenie paired a mustard yellow velvet headband and a high necked cream blouse with a soft pink jacket.
Meanwhile new father Jack, who cradled the baby in his arms, donned a soft blue half zip jumper for the occasion.
Princess Eugenie names son August Philip Hawke
In a later post, the Queen’s granddaughter said the name was a nod to Prince Philip and Queen Victoria’s Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel
August is both a given name and surname developed from the Latin, Augustus. Derived from the Latin word augere, meaning ‘to increase,’ Augustus had the meaning ‘esteemed’ or ‘venerable’ and was a title given to Roman emperors.
UK royal names are normally chosen from a relatively restricted pool of those used by past kings and queens.
Other royal Augusts include Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and his son, who shares the same name.
Princess Eugenie revealed the name is a nod to Queen Victoria’s Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel.
Albert was called August because it was the month of his birth.
Philip is a male given name, derived from the Greek Philippos, lit. ‘horse-loving’ or ‘fond of horses’.
The couple no doubt chose the name as a nod to Prince Philip, Princess Eugenie’s grandfather.
Hawke is an Anglo-Saxon name which comes from the Old English personal Hafoc. It is a Brooksbank family name.
The couple swaddled their son in a baby blue blanket, with a matching hat atop his head.
Shortly after Eugenie shared her post, Sarah Ferguson posted a tribute to her new grandson, writing: ‘As Grandparents, The Duke and I are thrilled and blessed at the arrival of our grandson August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
‘He is a beautiful blessing and a bringer of such love and joy to all our Family. I am so proud of Jack and Eugenie, they are and will be wonderful parents.’
It comes days after a source told People magazine Princess Eugenie is ‘doing really well’ after giving birth to her baby boy ‘via C-section due to her previous spinal surgery for scoliosis’.
Shortly after Eugenie shared her post, Sarah Ferguson posted a tribute to her new grandson, in which she said she and Prince Andrew were ‘thrilled’ over the new arrival (pictured left, Fergie, Andrew and Princess Beatrice with Eugenie and right, her message today)
According to the insider, who claimed to have spoken to the royal, Eugenie, 30, sounded ‘very content’ and said the baby is ‘a complete dream’.
Due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, the Duke and Duchess of York are yet to meet their first grandchild, the source added.
The princess was born with scoliosis and has since been vocal about her experience, including showing off the scar from surgery to correct the condition on her wedding day. She often shares pictures on her social media showing the scars and encourages others to do the same.
Princess Eugenie is ‘doing really well’ after giving birth to her baby boy ‘via C-section due to her previous spinal surgery for scoliosis’, a royal source told People magazine (pictured leaving hospital last week)
According to the source who claimed to have spoken to the royal, Eugenie, 30, sounded ‘very content’ and said the baby is ‘a complete dream’
Eugenie underwent surgery on her spine at the age of 12 so titanium could be added to repair the curvature which scoliosis had caused. The People source claimed she gave birth via C-section as a result, but the Palace refused to comment when approached by FEMAIL.
A cesarean section is not necessary for most women with scoliosis; Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a board-certified OB/GYN at Yale University School of Medicine, told People that pregnant women with a history of scoliosis surgery are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
If the placement of the metal rods means an epidural isn’t possible, the mother-to-be and doctor will come up with alternative anesthesia options.
Eugenie and tequila boss Jack are believed to be residing at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, where the couple spent time before Christmas after being loaned the home by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who now live in the US.
It was understood that Eugenie and her cousin Harry reached a ‘private agreement’ over Frogmore Cottage though it is not known how long it will last.
The couple’s permanent home is Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace, but they spent lockdown at Fergie and Prince Andrew’s home on the Queen’s Windsor estate.
Their baby is the Queen and Prince Philip’s ninth great-grandchild and eleventh-in-line to the throne, but will not have a royal title; only the grandchildren of the monarch are automatically entitled to one.
Speaking to Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl, a source recently revealed: ‘Eugenie knows that a title can be a curse as well as a blessing and she and Jack want their child to live an ordinary life and eventually work to earn a living.’
The new arrival weighed 8lbs 1oz and the couple broke with tradition by immediately sharing a black and white photo to Eugenie’s Instagram of their baby boy, showing them holding his tiny hand.
The new arrival weighed 8lbs 1oz and the couple broke with tradition by immediately sharing a black and white photo to Eugenie’s Instagram of their baby boy, showing them holding his tiny hand
Proud new mother Eugenie followed the post with three blue hearts after welcoming her son at the luxury private hospital where Meghan also gave birth to her one-year-old son, Archie.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of York, Sarah Ferguson and Mr and Mrs George Brooksbank were delighted at the news, Buckingham Palace announced, adding that ‘Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well’.
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) charity, which treated Princess Eugenie for the rare condition of scoliosis when she was 12, also wrote: ‘Congratulations to our Patron, HRH Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on the birth of their baby boy. We are so delighted for you both and would like to wish you all the very best’.
The new mother is currently on maternity leave from her job as a director at Mayfair art gallery Hausery & Wirth, while Jack works for tequila brand Casamigos.
The princess was born with scoliosis and has since been vocal about her experience, including showing off the scar from surgery to correct the condition on her wedding day
Princess Eugenie and Jack’s son is the Queen and Prince Philip’s ninth great-grandchild and eleventh-in-line to the throne, but will not have a royal title