When Princess Eugenie tied the knot with Jack Brooksbank in October 2018, the couple left a prime spot open in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
The empty seat, which was located right in front of the late Queen Elizabeth and next to the bride’s father, Prince Andrew, had spectators buzzing, with some wondering if a key guest had skipped out at the last minute or if the space was left unfilled in honor of a deceased family member.
However, the real reason behind the empty seat is a simple one: the Queen needed to see the altar. According to The Mirror, it was tradition to keep the seat in front of the Queen empty so she had a clear view. The outlet also reports that the spot left open was one the royal “didn’t find comfortable,” so she sat one row back instead.
Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank.
Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty
For Eugenie’s wedding, the Queen was joined in the second row by Prince William, Kate Middleton, King Charles and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who wed just months before Eugenie, 35, and Jack, 39, did.
At Harry and Meghan’s May 2018 wedding, they also left a seat open inside St. George’s Chapel. Although some suspected the empty space was in honor of Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, PEOPLE reported at the time that the seat was left open to ensure the Queen “had a perfectly clear view of the proceedings from the second row.”
Meghan Markle at her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool/Getty Images
When she attended Prince William and Kate’s 2011 wedding, the Queen was seated in the front row, so there was no empty seat left open for her.
Eugenie and Jack first met in 2010 while on a ski trip in Verbier, Switzerland, and fell in “love at first sight,” Eugenie later said. The couple got engaged in January 2018 and wed in October of that year.
In an Instagram tribute marking their first anniversary, Eugenie wrote, “This was the greatest day of my life…forever and always! Happy one year anniversary, my Jack!!” along with a video of never-before-seen footage from her wedding.
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The pair welcomed their first child, son August, in February 2021, and welcomed their second child, Ernest, in May 2023. Eugenie recently celebrated her husband’s 39th birthday with a sweet Instagram post praising her “hero.”
“Gosh it’s been 14 years and every birthday gets better as our family grows,” she wrote. “Best Dada ever and the best memories with so many more to come, 🎉🥳🎂🎁🎈🎊.”