Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding was a royal event where royals and celebrities celebrated together.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were very happy for the couple and had even postponed the departure of their Royal Tour to Australia to attend the ceremony, Harry wrote in Spare.
The Duke and Duchess also used the joyous gatherings surrounding the 2018 wedding as an opportunity to share their own good news.
They were pregnant with their first child, Archie – and while some were elated, the timing of their announcement to family members left others a little displeased.
Prince Harry, with his wife Meghan, in conversation with the late Queen Elizabeth outside St George’s Chapel after the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in 2018
Princess Eugenie arrives at her wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on October 12, 2018
The bride’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, sees people she knows when she arrives at the wedding
“The various gatherings associated with the wedding would give us the opportunity to take family members aside one by one and tell them our good news,” Harry wrote.
They told Prince Charles shortly before Eugenie and Jack’s drinks in Windsor, as he sat in his study.
Charles was “delighted when he learned he would become a grandfather for the fourth time,” Harry wrote.
Later, after drinks, the Duke and Duchess also updated Prince William, followed by Princess Kate who congratulated them.
MailOnline reported at the time how the Queen and Prince Philip were also told personally during the wedding celebrations.
However, the news that came at the same time as the bride and groom’s celebration was not welcomed by everyone in the royal family.
“Many wondered why Meghan chose to announce her news on the bride’s big day,” wrote Tom Bower in his book Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors.
The Bride and Groom: Jack Brooksbank and Eugenie leave the chapel after the wedding ceremony
Meghan wore a navy blue coat and matching headpiece to Eugenie’s wedding in 2018
Eugenie and her mother, Sarah Ferguson, were particularly unhappy with the timing and were said to be ‘furious’.
‘Meghan put her foot in it when she decided this would be the ideal time to announce that she and Harry were expecting their first child.
“This was a huge social blunder, even if you weren’t a Royal stealing the spotlight from Eugenie, who was furious, as was her mother, Sarah,” Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett wrote in Royals at War: The Untold Story of Harry And Meghan’s shocking break from the House of Windsor.
Eugenie and Jack’s wedding was attended by hundreds of guests, including Naomi Campbell, Liv Tyler, Demi Moore, Robbie Williams, Ellie Goulding, James Blunt and Kate Moss.
The groom read a moving speech to his new wife and he said he was “filled with devotion to Eugenie, who “lights up his life and makes him feel complete.”
Harry and Meghan’s official baby announcement to the public was released by Kensington Palace days later on October 15, 2018.
It read: ‘Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in Spring 2019.
“Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to share this happy news with the public.”
The Queen, Prince Philip, Harry, Meghan, Prince William, Princess Kate, Sophie Countess of Wessex, James Viscount Severn and Prince Edward at the wedding
The bride and groom leave Windsor Castle and head to Royal Lodge for their evening reception
However, speculation about a possible pregnancy started before the official announcement, which was made by Kensington Palace three days after Eugenie’s wedding. MailOnline reported how Meghan wore a loose-fitting Givenchy coat during the service and her husband repeatedly rubbed her lower back.
By the time the secret was officially out, Harry and Meghan had just arrived in Australia to embark on their first joint overseas tour since their wedding earlier that year.