Eugenie wedding: All you need to know about princess's big day
12 October 2018
Hot on the heels of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the second royal wedding of the year is fast approaching. Same venue, different people - Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are the couple tying the knot on 12 October. So what can you expect this time around? Here's everything you need to know. She is the Queen's granddaughter and the second daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. The 28-year-old is ninth in line to the throne, just behind her sister Beatrice. The princess, who studied English and history of art at Newcastle University, is a director at contemporary art gallery Hauser and Wirth in London. In an interview with British Vogue, she said she had an "anti-plastic" house and wanted their wedding to follow suit, reflecting their environmentally-friendly views. Jack Brooksbank, the former manager of Mayfair club Mahiki, met the princess when she was 20, on a skiing trip to Verbier in the Swiss Alps. The tequila brand ambassador, 32, said it was "love at first sight". Jack proposed in January this year in front of a volcano in Nicaragua, looking out over a lake, as the sun was setting. His future father-in-law Prince Andrew described him as an "outstanding young man". The couple will wed at 11:00 BST on 12 October at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. It's the same venue used by Prince Harry and Meghan. After the ceremony the newlyweds will take a carriage ride through Windsor, but will not go up the Long Walk like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did in May. In the afternoon, the Queen will host a reception for her granddaughter and her new husband and guests, at Windsor Castle. Evening celebrations will reportedly be staged at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park - the property is the family home of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah. As with the first royal wedding of the year, the wedding will be paid for privately except for the security - which will be picked up by the taxpayer. Anti-monarchist campaign group Republic claims security costs are estimated to be PS2m. The full security bill for Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle is yet to be revealed, although this one is expected to be much cheaper because of the couple's lower profile. Just like Meghan and Harry's wedding, 1,200 members of the public have been invited into the castle grounds to see the couple tie the knot. Buckingham Palace said they had received more than 100,000 applications from people wanting to attend. Representatives of charities and organisations supported by the couple will be among the guests in the castle grounds, including the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Salvation Army and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. There will also be children from two local schools which Princess Eugenie attended - St George's School and Coworth Flexlands School. About 800 guests will be at the wedding service, with a few famous faces expected to be among them. Some of Eugenie's friends include singer Ellie Goulding, model Cara Delevingne and Sir Richard Branson's children, Holly and Sam. Others expected to attend include supermodel Cindy Crawford, David and Victoria Beckham, Prince Harry's ex-girlfriends Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy, model Cara Delevingne, singer James Blunt and wife Sofia Wellesley, and George and Amal Clooney. The princess told Vogue the dress was the one thing she had been "decisive" about. "As soon as we announced the wedding, I knew the designer, and the look, straight away," she said. "I never thought I'd be the one who knew exactly what I like, but I've been pretty on top of it." She hinted at her ideas in an interview with the BBC's The One Show. Asked whether she would wear a straight gown or a meringue, Eugenie replied: "Maybe a mix of both. Can you do that? Is there such a thing? "No meringue shoulders - that's a little bit out of fashion - maybe it's in fashion now? We'll see what happens." Erdem - a London-based designer - has been suggested as one of the favourites to design the wedding dress. The princess wore a floral, cap-sleeve dress by the Canadian-born designer for her engagement photo-shoot at Buckingham Palace. When Princess Eugenie's mother married the Duke of York in 1986, she initially hid her tiara under a crown of flowers... ...only revealing it after signing the register to symbolise her new royal status. She wore the York diamond tiara, a wedding gift from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, many times after the wedding and kept it following her split from Prince Andrew in 1992. So could Princess Eugenie's "something borrowed" be her mother's tiara? Or perhaps, like Catherine and Meghan, the Queen will lend her one from her personal collection. Princess Eugenie's sister Beatrice, 30, will be her maid of honour. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will reprise the roles they had at Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding as pageboy and bridesmaid. The five-year-old daughter of X-Factor judges Robbie Williams and Ayda Field - Theodora Rose Williams - will also be a bridesmaid. Mr Brooksbank's younger brother Tom will be his best man. Cake designer Sophie Cabot will make a red velvet and chocolate cake. It will be a "traditional cake with a modern feel", designed with the "rich colours of autumn" and covered with "detailed sugar work including ivy", the royal press office says. Miss Cabot, who is originally a costume designer but started her cake business four years ago, came to the attention of the couple after supplying biscuits for an event that Princess Eugenie's father was involved in. Earlier this year she announced she had enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu cookery school to study patisserie. Miss Cabot said it has been "lovely" working with the bride and groom, adding: "I am incredibly excited to be given this wonderful opportunity to create such a special and unique cake." On the morning of the wedding, the Duke of York revealed that the floral designer for the church flowers was Dutch-born Rob Van Helden. The displays in St George's Chapel will be made of foliage and flowering branches, sourced locally from Windsor Great Park, combined with roses, spray roses, hydrangeas, dahlias and berries. They are said to "reflect the rich and vibrant tones of autumn". Mr Van Helden said: "It has been the greatest privilege and honour to create the flowers for Princess Eugenie and Jack, on their Wedding day. "Her Royal Highness has been very involved from the start and has been instrumental in the autumnal theme." The official wedding photographer is Alex Bramall. He previously photographed Princess Eugenie for Harper's Bazaar US in 2016. The Dean of Windsor, David Conner, who conducted the service for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May, will marry the couple. Prayers will be led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who was the UK's first black archbishop and who recently announced his retirement. He has written a personal prayer for the service. After the service, members of Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards - of which Princess Eugenie's father is colonel of the regiment - will line the steps outside the chapel as the newlyweds leave. World-renowned classical star Andrea Bocelli will perform two pieces of music during the service. Musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - of which Princess Eugenie's father, the Duke of York, is patron - will also perform during Friday's ceremony. And James Vivian, the director of music at St George's Chapel, has written descants for two hymns which will be sung. A fanfare, written especially for the occasion, will be performed by Household Cavalry state trumpeters and pipers from the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland will perform during the carriage procession. The official range of commemorative fine-bone china by the Royal Collection Trust includes coasters, tankards and miniature cups and saucers. The china, made in Stoke-on-Trent, costs between PS20 and PS39. The ceremony will be broadcast in full on ITV as part of an extended This Morning special. Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford will host This Morning at The Royal Wedding from 09:25-12:30 at Windsor. It will also be live streamed from St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on the Royal Family's official YouTube channel and The Duke of York's official YouTube Channel at 10:00 BST. And you can follow the big day on the BBC News website and BBC News Channel.
She is the Queen's granddaughter and the second daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. The 28-year-old is ninth in line to the throne, just behind her sister Beatrice. The princess, who studied English and history of art at Newcastle University, is a director at contemporary art gallery Hauser and Wirth in London. In an interview with British Vogue, she said she had an "anti-plastic" house and wanted their wedding to follow suit, reflecting their environmentally-friendly views.
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Who is Princess Eugenie?
Jack Brooksbank, the former manager of Mayfair club Mahiki, met the princess when she was 20, on a skiing trip to Verbier in the Swiss Alps. The tequila brand ambassador, 32, said it was "love at first sight". Jack proposed in January this year in front of a volcano in Nicaragua, looking out over a lake, as the sun was setting. His future father-in-law Prince Andrew described him as an "outstanding young man".
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Who is she marrying?
The couple will wed at 11:00 BST on 12 October at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. It's the same venue used by Prince Harry and Meghan. After the ceremony the newlyweds will take a carriage ride through Windsor, but will not go up the Long Walk like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did in May. In the afternoon, the Queen will host a reception for her granddaughter and her new husband and guests, at Windsor Castle. Evening celebrations will reportedly be staged at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park - the property is the family home of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah.
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When and where is the wedding?
As with the first royal wedding of the year, the wedding will be paid for privately except for the security - which will be picked up by the taxpayer. Anti-monarchist campaign group Republic claims security costs are estimated to be PS2m. The full security bill for Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle is yet to be revealed, although this one is expected to be much cheaper because of the couple's lower profile.
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Who's paying for the wedding?
Just like Meghan and Harry's wedding, 1,200 members of the public have been invited into the castle grounds to see the couple tie the knot. Buckingham Palace said they had received more than 100,000 applications from people wanting to attend. Representatives of charities and organisations supported by the couple will be among the guests in the castle grounds, including the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Salvation Army and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. There will also be children from two local schools which Princess Eugenie attended - St George's School and Coworth Flexlands School. About 800 guests will be at the wedding service, with a few famous faces expected to be among them. Some of Eugenie's friends include singer Ellie Goulding, model Cara Delevingne and Sir Richard Branson's children, Holly and Sam. Others expected to attend include supermodel Cindy Crawford, David and Victoria Beckham, Prince Harry's ex-girlfriends Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy, model Cara Delevingne, singer James Blunt and wife Sofia Wellesley, and George and Amal Clooney.
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Who's going?
The princess told Vogue the dress was the one thing she had been "decisive" about. "As soon as we announced the wedding, I knew the designer, and the look, straight away," she said. "I never thought I'd be the one who knew exactly what I like, but I've been pretty on top of it." She hinted at her ideas in an interview with the BBC's The One Show. Asked whether she would wear a straight gown or a meringue, Eugenie replied: "Maybe a mix of both. Can you do that? Is there such a thing? "No meringue shoulders - that's a little bit out of fashion - maybe it's in fashion now? We'll see what happens." Erdem - a London-based designer - has been suggested as one of the favourites to design the wedding dress. The princess wore a floral, cap-sleeve dress by the Canadian-born designer for her engagement photo-shoot at Buckingham Palace.
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Any hints about the dress?
When Princess Eugenie's mother married the Duke of York in 1986, she initially hid her tiara under a crown of flowers... ...only revealing it after signing the register to symbolise her new royal status. She wore the York diamond tiara, a wedding gift from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, many times after the wedding and kept it following her split from Prince Andrew in 1992. So could Princess Eugenie's "something borrowed" be her mother's tiara? Or perhaps, like Catherine and Meghan, the Queen will lend her one from her personal collection.
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Will she wear a tiara?
Cake designer Sophie Cabot will make a red velvet and chocolate cake. It will be a "traditional cake with a modern feel", designed with the "rich colours of autumn" and covered with "detailed sugar work including ivy", the royal press office says. Miss Cabot, who is originally a costume designer but started her cake business four years ago, came to the attention of the couple after supplying biscuits for an event that Princess Eugenie's father was involved in. Earlier this year she announced she had enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu cookery school to study patisserie. Miss Cabot said it has been "lovely" working with the bride and groom, adding: "I am incredibly excited to be given this wonderful opportunity to create such a special and unique cake." On the morning of the wedding, the Duke of York revealed that the floral designer for the church flowers was Dutch-born Rob Van Helden. The displays in St George's Chapel will be made of foliage and flowering branches, sourced locally from Windsor Great Park, combined with roses, spray roses, hydrangeas, dahlias and berries. They are said to "reflect the rich and vibrant tones of autumn". Mr Van Helden said: "It has been the greatest privilege and honour to create the flowers for Princess Eugenie and Jack, on their Wedding day. "Her Royal Highness has been very involved from the start and has been instrumental in the autumnal theme." The official wedding photographer is Alex Bramall. He previously photographed Princess Eugenie for Harper's Bazaar US in 2016.
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And the cake and flowers?
World-renowned classical star Andrea Bocelli will perform two pieces of music during the service. Musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - of which Princess Eugenie's father, the Duke of York, is patron - will also perform during Friday's ceremony. And James Vivian, the director of music at St George's Chapel, has written descants for two hymns which will be sung. A fanfare, written especially for the occasion, will be performed by Household Cavalry state trumpeters and pipers from the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland will perform during the carriage procession.
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What about the music?
The official range of commemorative fine-bone china by the Royal Collection Trust includes coasters, tankards and miniature cups and saucers. The china, made in Stoke-on-Trent, costs between PS20 and PS39.
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What souvenirs are on offer?