By Molly Claire Goddard
3:32pm PDT, Oct 7, 2025

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One royal mystery has been solved. At Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s 2018 wedding at St. George’s Chapel, a seat next to Prince Andrew was left conspicuously empty. A report has revealed why…

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Princess Eugenie left the chair next to Prince Andrew vacant at her wedding because her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, chose to sit behind it, and royal protocol dictates that no one should sit in front of the monarch. The late queen reportedly chose to sit in the second row because the first row was uncomfortable. Also on hand during the ceremony were family members Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice, Prince Philip, King Charles III, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Princess Anne, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall.

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Prince Andrew walked Princess Eugenie down the aisle at the Windsor Castle church, where she exchanged vows with Jack Brooksbank. The bride donned a silk Zac Posen gown for the ceremony. The royal family celebrated later with a private dinner at Royal Lodge.

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The wedding took place years before the royal family started shunning Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein. “The Yorks are an extremely close-knit family. The disgrace of Sarah Ferguson has followed that of Prince Andrew, who has become an international pariah,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said, adding that “Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will find their parents’ predicament devastating.”