Princess Eugenie has marked her and husband Jack Brooksbank’s seventh wedding anniversary with a sweet snap showing the pair locked in a passionate embrace.
The 35-year-old royal married marketing executive Jack, 39, in a lavish ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in 2018, with Prince George and Princess Charlotte among the page boys and bridesmaids.
The previously unseen photograph shows Eugenie and Jack, who share two boys, August four, and two-year-old Ernest, sharing a kiss with their arms wrapped around each other.
Eugenie, who is not a working royal, is wearing a pink suede jacket with her married name ‘Brooksbank’ stitched across the back.
Jack, meanwhile, is dressed in a dark grey suit jacket and is sporting a signet ring on his little finger.
Twelfth in line to the throne, Eugenie, the younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, captioned the romantic snap: ‘Happy Anniversary… 7 years and counting!’
The picture, which was taken outdoors, received more than 30,500 likes in four hours while more than 300 royal fans added their wishes in the comments section.
While the passionate embrace delighted Eugenie’s 1.8M Instagram followers, celebrations in the Brooksbank household may be muted as Eugenie supports her mother from the fallout after the Mail revealed leaked emails between her and the disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Princess Eugenie posted a sweet snap (pictured) of her and husband Jack Brooksbank locked in a passionate embrace to mark their seventh wedding anniversary
She added an affectionate caption to the post (pictured)
The Duchess has not been seen in public for several weeks after a 2011 email she sent to Epstein resurfaced, in which she called him her ‘supreme friend’ and appeared to apologise for previously criticising him.
The message, written years after his conviction for child sex offences, has sparked outrage and led at least eight UK charities – including the British Heart Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and Julia’s House – to drop her as a patron.
Fergie is now understood to be lying low at Royal Lodge in Windsor, which she still shares with her ex-husband, as she faces one of the most serious reputational crises of her life.
Her biographer Ingrid Seward said this week: ‘This time she is probably going to have to do what she’s never done before and lie low for quite a while.’
Andrew has also, again, been linked to the disgraced financier through newly released ‘Epstein Files’ – a cache of flight manifests, phone messages and financial records made public by US lawmakers last week.
The documents include details of a trip Andrew made with Epstein in 2000, while on an official visit for the NSPCC, intensifying questions about the nature of their relationship.
Meanwhile Eugenie’s sister Princess Beatrice escaped to New York last weekend to celebrate a close friend’s wedding amid the fallout at home.
Eugenie and Jack’s nuptials were attended by celebrities including singer Ellie Goulding, actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry and actress Demi Moore, as well as senior royals.
The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, 35, has become patron for Arts Work
While the televised ceremony was watched by three million Britons, it has been said that the couple’s big day was overshadowed by the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were expecting their first child.
The pair reportedly chose the occasion to share their exciting announcement with the then Prince Charles, Prince William and Queen Elizabeth II.
Eugenie and her older sister, Princess Beatrice, 37, have continued to pursue their work commitments amid the recent Jeffrey Epstein email scandal that has engulfed their mother and seen her stripped of her patronages.
Earlier this month, Eugenie stepped into a new role with British-based charity Arts Work.
She was appointed patron of the organisation, which aims to give young people living in the UK access into the creative sector by offering a work placement and training.
The charity announced the news on Friday, October 3, posting a series of images of the royal at an event, greeting members and discussing strategy.
Eugenie was dressed in a casual sleeveless denim dress, which she paired with a khaki bomber jacket.
She wore her hair up in a chic messy bun and chose natural makeup for the occasion.
The King’s niece (left) was among guests at the wedding of her long-time confidant James Green, 37, (centre) and James Hirschfeld, 39, (right) the American co-founder of digital invitations company Paperless Post, in Long Island, New York
Arts Work captioned the snaps: ‘We are thrilled to announce that Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie has become our new patron. Her support marks a significant moment in our mission to champion creativity and amplify the voices of children and young people.’
The organisation added that it was ‘so pleased’ to have Eugenie ‘join us in advocating for inclusive, creative opportunities that enable young people to make change happen’.
Fans congratulated Eugenie on her new role, with one describing her as a ‘wonderful, down-to-earth royal.’
Another penned: ‘I love seeing Eugenie use her position to help others. Way to go, Princess!’
A third said: ‘Congratulations, the Princess will be amazing! What a blessing for you.’
Princess Eugenie currently works full-time as a director at art gallery Hauser & Wirth in London, but has royal patronages outside of her job.
She co-founded The Anti-Slavery Collective in 2017 with her sister, Princess Beatrice, and also has patronages with the National Orthopaedic Hospital and Horatio’s Garden.
Last month, she also flew to New York City to join co-founders of The Anti-Slavery Collective as they launched a campaign to help raise awareness of the human cost behind counterfeit garments.
The new patronage comes as a royal author claimed that Beatrice and Eugenie have been left in a ‘very difficult’ position over their upcoming Christmas plans.
Journalist Phil Dampier told the Daily Mail that the sisters ‘may feel it would be unfair’ of them to join the King and Queen and other royals at Sandringham, if their parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, are left out.
Sources claimed that the Duke and Duchess of York, both 65, have been told they are not welcome at the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations amid a fresh scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein.
It’s understood King Charles, 76, wants to keep Andrew and his ex-wife at arm’s length after the Mail on Sunday exposed how Fergie wrote to Epstein to apologise for publicly disowning the paedophile financier.
The Yorks, who live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor despite divorcing in 1996, have also been told to make themselves ‘invisible’ at future royal gatherings, insiders claim.
Mr Dampier said: ‘If it turns out they are not invited, or decide themselves not to go, then it makes it very difficult for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
‘They may feel it would be unfair of them to go when their parents aren’t there and it simply rubs salt in their wounds.
‘The King has a soft spot for both Beatrice and Eugenie and feels sorry for the situation they are in. So it’s a real dilemma for him and one he could do without.’
The royal author suggested that the Prince of Wales would also not want the sisters to be left out because of their parents, adding: ‘He does have a good relationship with his cousins.’
Last year, Eugenie spent Christmas with her in-laws, Jack Brooksbank’s family, while Beatrice joined other royals at Sandringham. The only other time either of the sisters has missed the Royal Family’s festive gathering was in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
Meanwhile, Charles asked the Duchess of York to help convince Andrew to ‘do the decent thing’ and avoid the Christmas celebrations at the Norfolk estate last year after it emerged the Duke had become close with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.
The Yorks spent last Christmas together at Royal Lodge instead, but they were not joined by their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
A source close to the King told The Sunday Times: ‘You can’t sack someone from being your brother.
‘But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions.’
