‘You light up every room with your deep voice and infectious smile,’ Princess Eugenie said in a post that celebrated her younger son Ernie’s third birthday today
Princess Eugenie has shared a touching social media post to her little boy Ernest as he celebrated his third birthday.
Eugenie, 36, could be seen giving her little boy a big kiss in one photo, which was accompanied by other images of ‘Ernie’ playing football, one holding hands with an older boy presumed to be Ernie’s older brother August, five, and also playing with balloons.
Eugenie added a moving caption to the post, paying tribute to her “tiger loving, hat wearing, constantly hugging, fearless golden boy Ernie”.
She added: “You light up every room with your deep voice and infectious smile.”
Hundreds of well-wishers commented on the post, wishing the young royal a happy birthday.
Little Ernie was 13th in line to the throne when he was born in 2023 and is now 14th. Brother August is currently 13th.
At the beginning of this month, Buckingham Palace said Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank were “very pleased” to be expecting their third child to be born this summer.
The King was “delighted” with the news, while August and Ernie were “very excited” to welcome a younger sister or brother to the family, the palace said.
In a photograph shared on Instagram by Eugenie, 36, Ernie, wearing a Chelsea football kit, and August, wearing a long-sleeved grey t-shirt, could be seen holding a picture of a baby scan.
The princess posted: “Baby Brooksbank due 2026!” followed by a series of red heart emojis and one of a baby.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their third child together, due this summer.
“August and Ernest are also very excited to have another sibling join the family.
“His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news.”
The baby, who will not be an HRH, will be born 15th in line to the throne, with their great uncle the Duke of Edinburgh, moving down to 16th place.
He or she will also be the 15th great-grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the third to be born since her death in 2022.
The new arrival will be the fifth grandchild of the former Duke and Duchess of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, after the birth of Princess Beatrice’s daughter Athena Mapelli Mozzi in January last year.
The announcement from Buckingham Palace, which posted the news on its social media, will be seen as a show of support for Eugenie despite the troubles surrounding her father.
Andrew was stripped of his titles by the King and was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his connections with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Last week it emerged that detectives investigating Andrew will consider allegations of sexual misconduct in their inquiry into potential misconduct in public office.
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his links to the convicted sex offender.
Eugenie and her sister Beatrice stayed away from the traditional royal gathering on Easter Sunday, with the agreement of Charles, amid the furore over their father.
The princesses, who are granddaughters of the late Queen Elizabeth II, have faced scrutiny themselves after their names appeared in the Epstein files, the US Department of Justice’s document dump relating to the convicted sex offender.
One email exchange suggested their mother Sarah took her daughters to see Epstein in the US days after he was released from prison for child sex crimes.
Eugenie and Beatrice were 19 and 20 at the time.
The former duke and duchess were last seen in public alongside senior members of the royal family at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September last year.
Mr Brooksbank celebrated his 40th birthday on Sunday, with the King’s niece marking the occasion by sharing photographs on her Instagram story of her husband relaxing on a beach with the caption “happy 40th my love”.
The pair married in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in October 2018.
