Princess Eugenie's New Baby Won't Have A Royal Title Like His Cousins - Here's Why

It's official: There's a new little member of the royal family. Princess Eugenie has announced the birth of her second baby. On June 5, Eugenie shared an Instagram post telling the world that her second child, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, was born on May 30. Princess Eugenie is one of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson's two daughters. While it may seem as though King Charles III's niece having her second baby wouldn't present much of a change to the royal line of succession, this family unit is closer to the crown than many may think. Upon his birth, Ernest has become 13th in line to the throne, landing behind his mother and his big brother. His birth has moved his uncle Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, to 14th place, and the rest of the line behind him has shifted accordingly.

It's clear based on Ernest's place in the line to the crown that there are rules regarding the monarchy that most of us don't fully understand. Interestingly, while baby Ernest and his two-year-old brother, August, are important members of the royal family, neither has a royal title, and the reason for this is another complex rule within the monarchy.

Princess Eugenie's children, August and Ernest, are King Charles III's great nephews. While this placement in the line of succession is higher up than many may have thought, it also prevents them from having official titles. According to the rules, the monarch's children and the children of the monarch's sons can have HRH status and official titles. This is why Prince William's three children have prince and princess titles, as do Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie and Lilibet, since they are the grandchildren of the king. 

As great nephews of the king, August and Ernest do not fit into any of these title-bearing categories, so while their cousins (and their mom!) get to use the prince and princess titles, Princess Eugenie's sons will not. 

While some members of the royal family put plenty of stock in these royal titles, it's clear that this little family is thrilled to have added its newest member with or without the title. And, while baby Ernest may not technically be a prince, there's still plenty of meaning and homage to his famous family in his name.

Princess Eugenie And Jack Brooksbank's relationship began in 2010, and the pair was married at Windsor Castle in 2018. They welcomed August Philip Hawke Brooksbank to the family on February 9, 2021. In a documentary, Eugenie shared his special namesake. Per Mirror, she said, "We named August, August Philip because grandpa has been such a huge, inspiring character in my life." Eugenie's grandpa is, of course, the late Prince Philip.

Eugenie and Brooksbank carried on the tradition of giving their children meaningful family names with the birth of Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank. In her Instagram post announcing Ernest's birth, Eugenie wrote, "He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald." Brooksbank's father, George Brooksbank passed away in 2021. As for the name Ronnie, this honors Sarah Ferguson's father, Ronald Ferguson.

It's evident that Eugenie and Brooksbank care a lot about family and tradition, which makes the news of their family expanding even happier. Eugenie ended her Instagram post with, "Augie is loving being a big brother already." It's safe to assume that all the members of the royal family are looking forward to seeing the newest addition at the next big family gathering.