Princess Eugenie is to marry her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank, it has been announced, as her mother described how the couple "float with laughter and love" in a series of gushing social media posts.
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday morning that the Queen's granddaughter became engaged to Mr Brooksbank in Nicaragua earlier this month.
Princess Eugenie's parents, the Duke of York and his former wife Sarah Duchess of York, were "delighted" to announce the engagement, while Mr Brooksbank's parents said they were "completely over the moon".
In a series of Twitter posts after the announcement, the Duchess of York posted a picture of the couple overlaid with the words: "A total embrace of goodness and joy... Eugenie is one of the finest people I know and so together it will be pure harmony".
The wedding will take place at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle this autumn. It is the same venue that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will wed on Saturday, May 19.
Image copyright PA Image caption Engagement photos of the couple, taken in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace, have been released
Princess Eugenie is to marry her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The Duke and Duchess of York said their younger daughter and Mr Brooksbank became engaged while in Nicaragua earlier this month.
The wedding will take place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the autumn.
The princess met the former manager of Mayfair club Mahiki while skiing. They have dated for several years.
It will be the second royal wedding at the chapel this year - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry there in May.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said Princess Eugenie's grandparents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, were "very pleased and wish the couple all the best".
Engagement pictures of the couple, taken in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace, have been released following the announcement.
Princess Eugenie is wearing a dress by Erdem, shoes by Jimmy Choo and a ring containing a padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
Image copyright PA Image caption The princess met the former manager of Mayfair club Mahiki while skiing
Image copyright PA Image caption Princess Eugenie's engagement ring contains a padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds
The 27-year-old is the second daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, and is eighth in line to the throne.
She will keep her royal title when she marries Mr Brooksbank and will have the option to take his surname.
The princess works in the arts as a director at gallery Hauser and Wirth.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Duke of York says diaries need to be checked to find a wedding date
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar in 2016, she said part of her job was planning special projects and managing events, working with artists around the world.
The princess told the magazine she has a dog called Jack - a "total accident" that he has the same name as her fiancé.
She does not carry out any royal engagements, BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said.
Her public profile or work as a member of royal family would not increase significantly after the wedding, he added.
Image copyright PA Image caption Princess Eugenie with her mother, the Duchess of York, and sister Princess Beatrice
Mr Brooksbank's parents, Nicola and George Brooksbank, said they were "completely over the moon" and "very excited" for the couple.
"We could not be more delighted with the news of the engagement," they said.
Image copyright PA Image caption Further details about the wedding will be released in due course
The princess is patron of several organisations including the Teenage Cancer Trust, the European School of Osteopathy and animal charity the Elephant Family.
As a child, the princess suffered from scoliosis and, at the age of 12, had back surgery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, Middlesex.
In a series of tweets, Sarah Ferguson congratulated her daughter and her fiancé. She said the couple "float with laughter and love" and the announcement was "Total joy!".
"We love Jack and I am so excited to have a son, a brother and a best friend," the duchess added.
"Eugenie is one of the finest people I know and so together it will be pure harmony."
Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated the couple and said she offered her "very best wishes".
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Monarchy Princess Eugenie to marry boyfriend Jack Brooksbank Buckingham Palace announces engagement and says wedding will take place in autumn Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace after they announced their engagement. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/AP
Princess Eugenie has become engaged to her boyfriend, Jack Brooksbank, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The wedding will take place in the autumn at St George’s Chapel at Windsor, the same venue where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are due to marry in May.
Buckingham Palace said: “The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Eugenie to Mr Jack Brooksbank. Her Royal Highness and Mr Brooksbank became engaged in Nicaragua earlier this month. The wedding will take place in the autumn of 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, with further details to be announced in due course.”
Eugenie, 27, began dating Brooksbank, 29, a nightclub manager, about seven years ago after they met skiing in the Swiss resort of Verbier.
Theresa May congratulated the “happy couple” in a tweet.
Theresa May (@theresa_may) My very best wishes to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on their engagement - congratulations to the happy couple. https://t.co/VfTnM4QJvy
Brooksbank manages the Mayfair club Mahiki, a favourite haunt of his friend Prince Harry and Eugenie’s sister Princess Beatrice.
The cocktail bar refused to comment on the announcement. Its most recent Twitter update invites followers to “get geeky at Mahiki” by sampling some of “science cocktails and in test tube shots”.
Mahiki (@mahiki) Let’s Get Geeky at Mahiki! 🤓⚗️ The #MahikiMondays Class of Tiki returns for more science cocktails and test tube shots 🍹🔭🎉 pic.twitter.com/q5mfMKtEHK
Brooksbank has had ambitions to set up a chain of pubs since he was 18. Explaining the plan to the Daily Mail, he said: “I have fond memories of Sunday roasts in pubs with log fires, and it’s something I want to recreate.”
He is the son of an accountant and was educated at Stowe public school in Buckinghamshire. Other alumni include the entrepreneur Richard Branson, the television executive Michael Grade and the Guardian columnist George Monbiot.
Brooksbank shunned university and went straight from school into a career in hospitality, including stints as a waiter and wine merchant.
The Duke of York paid tribute to his future son-in-law. “Jack is an absolutely outstanding young man and Eugenie and he have got to know each other over a number of years, and I’m really thrilled for them,” Prince Andrew said during a visit to the King’s Lynn Innovation Centre.
He added: “I’m just completely overjoyed for them and wish them every happiness.”
Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, tweeted her “total joy” at the engagement, and posted a photo of the couple on a boat.
Sarah Ferguson (@SarahTheDuchess) They float with laughter and love .. although a boat helps! #engagement #eugieandjack @TheDukeOfYork @yorkiebea pic.twitter.com/Q7ezWecUsa
On Sunday it was reported that Ferguson had demanded about £45m in damages from Rupert Murdoch. She claims that the now defunct News of the World wrecked a series of business opportunities for her when its former reporter Mazher Mahmood caught her in a sting.
Princess Eugenie and long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank are engaged to be married, the Royal Family has announced.
The couple became engaged in Nicaragua earlier this month and will tie the knot in the autumn at St George's Chapel in Windsor - the church hosting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May.
Eugenie, 27, began dating Mr Brooksbank, 29, around seven years ago after they met while skiing in the Swiss resort of Verbier.
Image: The pair at the Qatar Goodwood Festival in 2015
The Stowe-educated socialite was the manager of Mayfair nightclub Mahiki and is now the UK brand ambassador of Casamigos Tequila, which was co-founded by actor George Clooney.
Buckingham Palace said Eugenie's parents, the Duke of York and his former wife Sarah Duchess of York, were delighted to announce the engagement.
I always say that the river flows well to it’s destiny because of the guidance of a solid rock #engagement #eugieandjack @TheDukeOfYork @TheDukeOfYork pic.twitter.com/hvCnnOwZpo — Sarah Ferguson (@SarahTheDuchess) 22 January 2018
Sarah Ferguson tweeted a series of pictures showing Princess Eugenie with Mr Brooksbank, saying: "I always say that the river flows well to it's destiny because of the guidance of a solid rock."
She posted one photo of the couple with the caption "total joy", and another which said "they float with laughter and love".
The Duke of York said: "I'm just completely overjoyed for them and wish them every happiness."
Nicola and George Brooksbank, the parents of Eugenie's fiance Jack Brooksbank, say they are "over the moon".
The couple said in a brief statement: "We could not be more delighted with the news of the engagement.
"We are completely over the moon and are very excited for them both."
She graduated from Newcastle University after studying English and history of art, and is now a director at the contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth in London.
She is also the patron of various charities including the Elephant Family, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Coronet Theatre and The European School of Osteopathy.
Eugenie underwent back surgery aged 12 to correct a scoliosis condition, and is now patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
Image: The couple pictured at the Chelsea Flower Show press day in 2016
Her husband-to-be met the Queen at Balmoral when he and Eugenie attended Prince Harry's 32nd birthday in September 2016.
The Queen reportedly gave the couple her blessing for their marriage.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh "are very pleased and wish the couple all the best".
Eugenie is currently eighth in line to the throne, but will be ninth in line after the arrival of William and Kate's third child.
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