Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding was a regal event where royals and celebrities celebrated together.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were thrilled for the couple and had even postponed the departure of their Royal Tour to Australia to attend the ceremony, Harry wrote in Spare.
The Duke and Duchess also used the joyous get-togethers surrounding the marriage in 2018 as an opportunity to share their own good news.
They were pregnant with their first child, Archie – and though some were delighted, the timing of their announcement to family members left others a little disgruntled.
Prince Harry, with his wife Meghan, talking to the late Queen Elizabeth outside St George’s Chapel after Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding in 2018
Princess Eugenie arriving at her wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on October 12, 2018
The bride’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, spots people she knows as she arrives at the wedding
‘The various gatherings connected to the wedding would give us a chance to pull aside family members one by one and tell them our good news,’ Harry wrote.
They told Prince Charles shortly before Eugenie and Jack’s drinks reception at Windsor while he was in his study.
Charles was ‘delighted to learn that he was going to be a grandfather for a fourth time,’ Harry wrote.
The Duke and Duchess also informed Prince William later on, after the drinks reception, and then Princess Kate who congratulated them.
MailOnline reported at the time how the Queen and Prince Philip were also told in person at the wedding celebrations.
However, the news coming at the same time as the bride and groom’s celebrations was not welcomed by everyone in the Royal Family.
‘Many wondered why Meghan chose to reveal her news on the bride’s big day,’ Tom Bower wrote in his book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors.
The bride and groom: Jack Brooksbank and Eugenie leaving the chapel after the wedding ceremony
Meghan wearing a navy coat and matching head piece to Eugenie’s wedding in 2018
Eugenie and her mother, Sarah Ferguson, were particularly displeased by the timing and were said to be ‘furious’.
‘Meghan put her foot in it when she decided that it would be the ideal moment to announce that she and Harry were expecting their first child.
‘This was a huge social gaffe, even if you were not a Royal stealing the limelight from Eugenie, who was furious, as was her mother, Sarah,’ wrote Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett in Royals at War: The Untold Story of Harry And Meghan’s Shocking Split With The House Of Windsor.
Eugenie and Jack’s wedding was attended by hundreds of guests including Naomi Campbell, Liv Tyler, Demi Moore, Robbie Williams, Ellie Goulding, James Blunt and Kate Moss.
The groom read a touching speech for his new wife and he said how he was ‘filled with devotion to Eugenie who ‘lights up his life and makes him feel complete’.
Harry and Meghan’s official baby announcement to the public was released by Kensington Palace days later on October 15, 2018.
It said: ‘Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019.
‘Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.’
The Queen, Prince Philip, Harry, Meghan, Prince William, Princess Kate, Sophie Countess of Wessex, James Viscount Severn and Prince Edward at the wedding
The bride and groom leaving Windsor Castle and heading to Royal Lodge for their evening reception
However, speculation over a possible pregnancy began before the official announcement, which was made by Kensington Palace three days after Eugenie’s wedding. MailOnline reported how Meghan wore a wide-fitting Givenchy coat to the the service and her husband was also spotted repeatedly rubbing her lower back.
By the time the secret was officially out Harry and Meghan had just touched down in Australia to begin their first tour together abroad since marrying earlier that year.
