Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, were thrilled to announce earlier this week that they are expecting another baby — but there was no mention of her parents.
In previous birth announcements regarding Eugenie, 36, and her sister, Princess Beatrice, the royal family has always mentioned that their family members — including their father, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and mother, Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson — were pleased by the news.
However, the news was announced a bit differently this time around given renewed scrutiny into the former Prince Andrew’s ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In the announcement shared Monday, May 4, the royal family said that Eugenie and her husband, 40, have a baby due this summer. They added that King Charles III “has been informed and is delighted with the news.”
Historically, there have been mentions of the couple’s immediate families.
Eugenie’s 2020 birth announcement when she was pregnant with son August, now 5, said that the former Duke and Duchess of York, both 66, were “delighted with the news” (via The Guardian).
In the palace’s 2023 announcement, when she was pregnant with son Ernest, now 2, the statement said “the family are delighted,” per People.
And, most recently, when the royals announced that Beatrice, 37, was pregnant with her daughter Athena (who celebrated her first birthday in January), it said that “both families are delighted with the news.”
Fred Duval/MEGA
In recent months, both Andrew and Fergie were forced to vacate Royal Lodge, where they previously lived nearly rent-free for years.
Fergie, who previously said via a representative that she was “taken in” by Epstein’s “lies,” denies any wrongdoing and consistently maintains her innocence with regard to the scandal involving the late financier.
Though her ex-husband has consistently denied wrongdoing and maintained his innocence regarding his ties to Epstein, he was accused of sharing confidential information with the businessman related to his role as a trade envoy.
The Thames Valley Police launched an inquiry into Andrew after it was reported that emails suggest the father of two sent Epstein reports from a tour of Southeast Asia he took in 2010. Andrew was arrested on February 19, his birthday, and released later that day.
He now lives on Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
This story Ex-Prince Andrew Absent From Princess Eugenie’s Pregnancy Announcement as Royals Break Tradition first appeared on National Examiner. Add National Examiner as a Preferred Source by clicking here.