Windsor: Crowds are gathering outside Windsor Castle ahead of Britain’s second royal wedding of the year Friday with Princess Eugenie set to wed a tequila brand executive in a gala ceremony. Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are to marry at St George’s Chapel, which is part of the castle complex, on a gusty day that required early arrivals to hold onto their elegant hats as they crossed the manicured grounds.
The nuptials have drawn most senior members of the royal family, including Eugenie’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who will host a champagne luncheon for the newlyweds shortly after the ceremony. The couple will marry in the same venue used in May by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who is now known as the Duchess of Sussex. The royal standard was flying atop the complex Friday, indicating that the queen was in residence.
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (R) arrives for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP |
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York waves as she arrives for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Photo by Andrew Matthews / POOL / AFP |
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (R) and Jack Brooksbank (L) kneel at the altar during their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor. Photo by Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP |
TOP SHOT – Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (R) reacts during her wedding ceremony to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor. Photo by Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP |
Harry and Meghan are attending, along with Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Their 5-year-old son, Prince George, will be a page boy, and Princess Charlotte, 3, will be one of six bridesmaids. Eugenie, 28, is ninth in line to the British throne. She works in the art world. Her sister, Princess Beatrice, will be maid of honor. They are the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who are divorced but enjoy an amicable relationship.
Eugenie and Brooksbank, 32, have dated for many years. He proposed to her in January during a trip to the Central American country of Nicaragua, choosing a romantic spot next to a lake and a volcano. Eugenie told ITV, which will broadcast the hour-long service in Britain, that she was both excited and a bit on edge.
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (R) and Jack Brooksbank (L) walk back down the aisle of the Quire hand in hand at the end of their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on October 12, 2018. (Photo by Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP) |
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (R) and Jack Brooksbank (L) walk back down the aisle hand in hand at the end of their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on October 12, 2018. (Photo by Danny Lawson / POOL / AFP) |
(L-R) Sarah, Duchess of York, Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York, bridesmaids including Savvanah Phillips, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge (3R) wave off Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York and her husband Jack Brooksbank from the West Steps of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on October 12, 2018 after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Andrew Matthews / POOL / AFP) |
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (R) and her husband Jack Brooksbank (L) emerge from the West Door of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on October 12, 2018 after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Steve Parsons / POOL / AFP) |
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York and her husband Jack Brooksbank travel in the Scottish State Coach at the start of their carriage procession following their wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, on October 12, 2018. (Photo by Gareth Fuller / POOL / AFP) |
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York and her husband Jack Brooksbank travel in the Scottish State Coach at the start of their carriage procession following their wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, on October 12, 2018. (Photo by Andrew Matthews / POOL / AFP) |
“It’s nerve-wracking and a bit scary and all the things that come with getting married, but at the end of the day you get to marry the person you love,” she said.
The couple has invited 1,200 members of the public to come onto the castle grounds for a closer glimpse of proceedings. They also plan to take a carriage ride through parts of Windsor just after the ceremony.
