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Royal WeddingsThe Yorks

The reason why Eugenie and Jack left a seat empty at their wedding

During the wedding ceremony of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank, one seat was left empty in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

When her cousin, Prince Harry left the same seat open during his May wedding to Meghan Markle (the now Duchess of Sussex), many theorised that it was left open in memory of his beloved mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. However, this was not the case.

With the royals, protocol dictates everything. There was an empty seat during Prince Harry’s wedding because no one can sit in front of Her Majesty The Queen.

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This was the same during the 12 October nuptials between Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. The Queen sat in the second row, meaning that, to follow protocol, the seat directly in front of her had to remain empty so that her view was not obstructed.

Additionally, it has been reported that the particular seat left vacant is one that Her Majesty does not find comfortable, which explains why she has chosen to sit in the second row rather than the first.

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Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, married her longtime boyfriend, Jack Brooksbank in front of over 800 guests in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on 12 October. Eugenie wore a custom gown by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos for the ceremony. The couple then celebrated with an afternoon and evening reception with their close friends and family before a festival-style celebration the next day took place.

Their engagement was announced on 22 January 2018 by Buckingham Palace. Jack had proposed to the ninth in line to the British throne while on holiday in Nicaragua earlier that month. As Eugenie was ninth in line, she did not have to acquire the permission of her grandmother, The Queen, to marry.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.