Amidst the grandeur and opulence of the British royal family, there lies a low-profile romance that has managed to withstand the test of time. The couple in question is none other than Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank, a union that has remained shrouded in secrecy for over a decade. Brooksbank, a socialite with royal blood ties of his own, tied the knot with Eugenie in October 2018, thus becoming a part of the esteemed British royal family.
Who is Jack Brooksbank, and what do we know about him? But as it turns out, Brooksbank has spent much of his career in hospitality, working as a nightclub manager at Mahiki and serving as a brand ambassador for George Clooney’s popular tequila brand, Casamigos.In 2022, he embarked on a new venture, joining the Discovery Land Company, a development corporation based in Portugal. Today, he and Eugenie split their time between London and Portugal, a testament to their jet-setting lifestyle.
It was on a ski trip in Switzerland back in 2010 that Brooksbank first met with Princess Eugenie. He was 24 while she was just 20 when they met. It was love at first sight, according to Brooksbank, who spoke to BBC following their engagement in January 2018. Eugenie echoed his sentiment, telling the news channel, “We have the same passions and drive for life.” The two dated for over seven years before Brooksbank popped the question during a vacation in Nicaragua in early 2018.
Despite his undeniable connection to the British royal family, Brooksbank does not have a royal title of his own. As a baronet descended, he comes from the only class of British nobility not part of the peerage. His parents, George Edward Hugh Brooksbank and Nicola Newton, are descended from the Brooksbank baronetcy of the Baronetage of England, a British hereditary dignity considered lower in rank than barony but above knighthood.
In addition to his marriage to Eugenie, Brooksbank shares a distant blood tie with his wife. Like the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who were third cousins, Brooksbank and Eugenie are half-third cousins twice removed. The royal spouses’ shared bloodline can be traced back to their respective families’ historical ties to the Brooksbank baronetcy.
Despite not having a royal title, Brooksbank has managed to carve out a comfortable existence within the British royal family, thanks in no small part to his strong connection with Princess Eugenie. The couple has a two-year-old son named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, and they are expecting a daughter at the end of the summer. Theirs is a love story that has remained hidden in plain sight, a testament to the power of true love in the face of royal protocol and societal expectations.
