Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was informed about Princess Eugenie’s third pregnancy through his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, according to reports.
The ex-prince’s youngest daughter, 36, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, 40, will welcome their third child later this year.
The couple, who have been married since 2018, are already parents to sons August, five, and Ernest, two.
Eugenie announced the news publicly last week, with a Buckingham Palace spokesperson saying King Charles was “delighted” with the news.
Fergie, 66, is understood to have been the first person the princess told about the new baby, who then relayed the information to Andrew, 66.
According to a royal source, Eugenie has “not been in touch” with her father since he was stripped of his titles and evicted from Royal Lodge late last year.
“Andrew found out that he was to be a grandpa again via Sarah,” the insider told the Daily Mail.
Neither Fergie nor Andrew have publicly addressed the pregnancy as both continue to live in exile in the wake of the fallout from the Epstein files.
“Sarah is in hiding, so it wouldn’t have been appropriate for her to talk about the expected baby publicly,” the source added.
“But of course she was one of the first to hear the news, directly from Eugenie. They spoke at length. This is what mothers and daughters do.”
The source also claimed Eugenie was apprehensive about sharing the news with King Charles over fears of a “frosty reception”, but was encouraged to do so by her cousin, Zara Tindall.
“[Eugenie] and Jack were quite surprised by the warmth of the Palace response,” they said.
“They had been contemplating making a media announcement of their own without the Palace being involved, but the King made contact and asked his officials to make a formal announcement.”
Buckingham Palace’s announcement, which was shared last Monday, broke with tradition by omitting any mention of the Royal Family.
“Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their third child together, due this summer,” the statement said.
“August (aged 5) and Ernest (aged 2) are also very excited to have another sibling join the family. His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news.”
When Eugenie’s first two pregnancies were announced, the Palace acknowledged Andrew and Fergie, as well as Brooksbank’s parents, by mentioning that the wider family is “delighted”.
The omission was likely intentional amid the current scandal surrounding the former Duke and Duchess of York.