Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank: Who are they?

April 2024 ยท 4 minute read
PA Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2016PA

Royal fans are gearing up for the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in Windsor on Friday.

But who are the pair preparing to say "I do"? Here's all you need to know about the happy couple.

Princess Eugenie

Art-loving Eugenie (pronounced YOO-juh-nee, not you-JAY-nee, but she's said she's "used to every pronunciation") is the Queen's granddaughter and is ninth in line to the throne.

Born in 1990 - full name Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York - she's now 28 and is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and the sister of Princess Beatrice.

Her parents divorced when Eugenie was six, but the family of four has remained a tight unit.

PA Princess Eugenie pictured in June 2017PAEugenie works at a central London art gallery

She had surgery when she was 12 to correct curvature of the spine, having been born with scoliosis. She lives with metal rods in her back as a result and has become patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

Eugenie went to Marlborough College in Wiltshire - also attended by cousin-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge - where she took A-levels in art, English literature and history of art before heading on a gap year to countries including Thailand and South Africa.

She studied English, politics and history of art at Newcastle University - graduating with a 2:1 - and is now an associate director at contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth in central London. She says her favourite artist is Jean-Michael Basquiat, the pioneer of the 1980s New York art scene.

Getty Images Princess Beatrice and Princess EugenieGetty ImagesEugenie with her sister Beatrice at Ascot earlier this year

According to a Harper's Bazaar profile, Eugenie gets up at 6.45am every day to do exercise, has a pet dog who's also called Jack, does make-up in the car on the way to work, and likes to relax by watching Netflix and eating cashew nuts with mustard.

As well as her work at the gallery, she also spends time carrying out royal engagements - though she is not a full-time working royal, which means taxpayers don't pay for her police protection - and says her family is the most important thing in her life.

Getty Images Princess Eugenie at the UN in New York CityGetty ImagesPrincess Eugenie spoke about her work as director of the Anti-Slavery Collective to the UN in New York this summer

She supports charities include the Elephant Family, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Coronet Theatre and the European School of Osteopathy. She also spoke to the UN earlier this year, in her capacity as director of the Anti-Slavery Collective.

Jack Brooksbank

Drinks executive Jack Brooksbank, 32, dated Princess Eugenie for about seven years before proposing while they were on holiday in Nicaragua.

They met through their mutual love of skiing, with friends introducing them while they were in Verbier, Switzerland. Mr Brooksbank said it was love at first sight.

He went to Stowe School, one of the most prestigious private schools in the UK, before studying at the University of Bristol.

Getty Images Jack BrooksbankGetty ImagesJack Brooksbank works for a tequila company

He started working life in the hospitality industry, eventually becoming manager of Mahiki, a club which was often attended by Prince Harry and Princess Beatrice.

After helping to launch a Mexican-themed pub in Chelsea, co-founded by Harry's friend Guy Pelly, he got a job as a brand ambassador for Casamigos tequila.

Its co-founders include Rande Gerber, husband of supermodel Cindy Crawford, and Hollywood star George Clooney.

PA Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie in June 2017PAThe couple get married in Windsor on Friday

The Duke of York has described his future son-in-law as "an absolutely outstanding young man", with Sarah, Duchess of York, saying she loved him and was "so excited to have a son, a brother and best friend". She's nicknamed him "Jack the Man".

His grandmother Joanna Newton, 91, told the MailOnline that she was surprised he was marrying a royal though - describing him as a "charming boy" but joking he was "not the most intelligent".

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