Buckingham Palace has announced that Princess Eugenie is expecting her third child and while it’s led to the usual run of royal baby excitement, there’s a subtle sign in the statement that hides something far more meaningful.
The Royal Family shared on social media, and via an official note, that the princess and her husband are looking forward to welcoming a new member to their family this summer. But it was the words they used that really packed a punch.
The statement started ”Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie”, a really important move given the speculation that has surrounded the princess and her sister, Beatrice, in recent months.
Ever since their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was stripped of his royal titles in October 2025, there has been on going debate about whether his two daughters would retain their royal status. This statement from the Palace is a very clear indication that there is no intention to remove the royal styles of either Eugenie or her sister.
Both Beatrice and Eugenie are HRH and Princess because of the 1917 Letters Patent, issued by King George V. That said that all the grandchildren of a Monarch in the male line, that is the children of the sons of a Monarch, are entitled to be HRH and Prince or Princess. Both the daughters of Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, have been known by their royal titles since birth.
However, the decision of King Charles to remove the HRH and Prince of his brother, Andrew, by issuing fresh Letters Patent and to take away his other titles by asking the Lord Chancellor to remove them from the Roll of Peerage, put his daughters in the spotlight.
Both have kept a low royal profile since their father lost his title and agreed to give up the lease on Royal Lodge, the thirty room mansion on the Windsor estate that he lived in until early this year.
Debate about their titles intensified when both their parents were mentioned in the Epstein files which also included confirmation that the princesses had travelled with Sarah Ferguson, when adults, to stay with Jeffrey Epstein following his release from prison after being convicted of sex offences.
Neither Beatrice nor Eugenie attended the royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham last year and neither has been seen much since their father was arrested, in February, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released without charge, under investigation.
Eugenie was seen recently in London, leaving a restaurant with her husband. A baby bump was clearly visible beneath her on trend jacket and the Buckingham Palace statement has confirmed the happy news.
However, the subtext is just as interesting. The fact that Buckingham Palace issued a statement at all is telling in itself. As The King continues to ”slim down” the Royal Family, the expectation that personal news, such as the arrival of a new baby, will be accompanied by official words is lower.
And the choice is words is particularly resonant. Starting with Eugenie’s full title is another way of highlighting that she retains it, will continue to retain it and does so with the full backing of The King.
Indeed, the statement ends with the phrase ”His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news”.
It’s not just the congratulations of a happy uncle but also the backing of the Monarch himself for the royal status of his niece.
Princess Eugenie’s new baby is due in the summer and will be fifteenth in line to the throne. The princess and her husband already have two sons – August is 5 and Ernest is 2.
