Meet Princess Eugenie's Son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank
On January 24, 2023, Princess Eugenie revealed to the world that she is expecting baby No. 2 with her husband, Jack Brooksbank. The granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II took to Instagram to share an adorable photo of her son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, kissing her baby bump. "We're so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer," she wrote. Buckingham Palace also confirmed the exciting news. "The family are delighted and August is very much looking forward to being a big brother," read the official statement provided to the BBC.
Many in the U.K. first became smitten with the soon-to-be big brother when he stole the show at his great-grandmother's Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which celebrated her 70th year on the throne. But if you happened to miss his grand introduction, don't worry. We've gathered everything you should know about the young royal.
August was part of the pandemic baby boom
2020 was a big year for the world over. We all holed up for what we thought would be a few weeks of lockdown, only to be stuck at home for much, much longer. And while navigating this new normal, the United States and the United Kingdom saw an uptick in pregnancies. Princess Eugenie was one of many who learned to navigate pregnancy during the pandemic.
Nearly two years after she married Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle, the couple publicly teased the arrival of their first child via Instagram. She shared a picture of two tiny slippers, captioned, "Jack and I are so excited for early 2021." The royal family took to Twitter to confirm the news shortly thereafter, tweeting, "Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr. Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting a baby in early 2021. The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, Mr. and Mrs. George Brooksbank, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted with the news."
Despite the fact that she couldn't get out to enjoy normal life or see family, she said at the time, "Lockdown's been okay for me," she revealed on Instagram Live. "I'm very lucky to have had my health throughout number one and number two and I just can't really begin to imagine what people are going through, who are getting ill," she added.
August was born via Cesarean section
On February 9, 2021, Princess Eugenie gave birth to a baby boy. According to Buckingham Palace, he was born in the morning at Portland Hospital, weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce. A source close to the princess told People that Eugenie required a C-section birth because of her previous scoliosis surgery. Due to the pandemic, August wasnt' able to be introduced to his grandparents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, right away. Nevertheless, the Crown confirmed that the whole family had "been informed and are delighted with the news." They also reassured the public that both mommy and baby were doing well.
Amid all the chaos of the day, Eugenie managed to give the world a first glance at her newborn's tiny hand on Instagram. Nearly two weeks later, in a separate post, she formally introduced him to the world as August Philip Hawke Brooksbank. "Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can't express," she wrote. "Thank you to the wonderful essential workers including our midwife who came to discharge our boy."
August is named after family members on both sides
If you're wondering where August's long name came from, you're not alone. During the 11 days in which the public waited to hear an official announcement of the new baby's name, speculation ran rampant. Some even placed bets on what moniker they thought would be chosen.
In the end, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank surprised us all by naming their firstborn son August, which is an unusual name even for the royals. However, Eugenie explained the name choice in an Instagram Story, writing, "He is named after his great grandfather and both of his great x5 grandfathers."
The royal's first name was most likely derived from Queen Victoria's husband, Franz Albert August, and August's first middle name, Philip, is, of course, in reference to Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh. Hawke pays homage to Jack's side of the family — his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, to be specific.
Though some assumed he would be called Gus (short for August), his parents have already taken to calling him Augie, as Eugenie revealed on Instagram.
He's 12th in the line of succession
Succession is a big deal for the House of Windsor, and the birth of a royal baby always shakes things up. Thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013, Prince William's eldest daughter is third in line and eligible to inherit the throne. Without the amendment, her younger brother Louis would have taken her spot in line. This act also applies to all other heirs in the line of succession, so long as they were born after October 28, 2011.
As of this writing, Master August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, as he is formally titled, sits at 12th in the line of succession, just below his mother. When he was born, he bumped quite a few people down on the list, including Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, and Queen Elizabeth II's daughter, Princess Anne. However, he himself was bumped from 11th to 12th in line upon his cousin's birth, Princess Beatrice's daughter, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi.
Eugenie is raising him to be a climate activist
Every member of the royal family has charities or causes they champion. Much of Princess Eugenie's work has been focused on nature and climate change. Since she became a mother, she said she's become especially driven to have an impact on future generations. "My son's going to be an activist from 2 years old, which is in a couple of days," she told Reuters in January 2023. "Everything is for them, right?"
The princess also revealed how she's trying to instill a green mindset at home. "Every decision we now make has to be for August, what he's going to be able to look at and do and how he's going to live his life." She continued, saying, "Now all I think about is what happens to rising sea levels and the communities that are on the beaches who depend solely on the sea, as well as what August can do about it in the future and what his education will be."
Eugenie explained that they are a plastic-free household, and while he may be too little to understand the impact he can have, especially with his royal status, he could just grow up to join the ranks of influential young activists like Greta Thunberg.
August was able to meet his great-grandfather shortly before the duke died
Only a few months after baby August came into the world, his great-grandfather passed away. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was 99 years old when he died, was laid to rest on April 17, 2021. Though Prince Philip will sadly not be able to meet Princess Eugenie's second child, he did get the chance to be introduced to August, his 9th great-grandchild, before his passing.
In the BBC documentary titled "Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers," the princess teared up while talking about their introduction. "We named August 'August Philip' because Grandpa has been such a huge, inspiring character in my life," she began. "I brought little August to come and meet him and told him that we'd named him after him and it was such a lovely moment." Eugenie continued, saying, "We were very lucky to do that."
He's unstoppably curious
In February 2023, August celebrated his second birthday, — and he'd gotten so big. In a video Princess Eugenie shared to Instagram, the royal family's youngest member can be seen with a thick layer of light brown hair, and, as one fan pointed out, he's inherited the "same smile as [his] father."
The toddler followed footprints down a path at what appears to be a zoo. After he stopped to check out an enclosure, he grinned back at the camera. He was so excited that he couldn't get his legs moving properly at first. He performed a funny little jig before running down the path at top speed, proving that he no longer needs a hand from mom and dad. "Keep dancing and smiling my angel," Eugenie wrote.
From other videos Eugenie has shared on Instagram Stories, it's clear that the young royal is eager to explore the world. We eagerly await more heart-melting videos of the adorable young royal.