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Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank could be about to make their own Megxit, as they may be considering following Prince Harry and Meghan to sunny California after the birth of their second child.
A friend tells me the Sussexes have been sending Eugenie, 32, Prince Andrew’s youngest daughter, details of houses near where they live in Montecito.
But I’m told the couple is looking at homes in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles, and they plan to rent first before taking the plunge and buying a property.
The United States will not be totally unfamiliar territory for Eugenie, who spent two years living in New York between 2013 and 2015, when she worked for the auction house Paddle8.
For the time being, Jack and Eugenie, who have just announced they are expecting a brother for two-year-old August, split their time between the UK and Portugal, where Jack works in high-end property development.
AMERICAN GIRL: Princess Eugenie (pictured) may be following her cousin Prince Harry to the west coast of America
Princess Eugenie (left) and her husband Jack Brooksbank (right) with their son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank (in his mother’s arms) attend the Platinum Competition on The Mall on June 5 last year for the Queen’s Jubilee.
A friend has said that Prince Harry (right) and Meghan (left) have been sending Eugenie details of houses near where they live in Montecito, California.
Though she recently took a job at the Discovery Land Company with real estate mogul Mike Meldman, the transition is likely to be pretty seamless since the company’s core properties are spread across the United States.
When in Britain, Jack and Eugenie stayed at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
The late Queen gave the property to Harry and Meghan before they left to pursue their American dream. My source tells me, ‘With a growing family, it seems like it’s all about new beginnings. This is not just a chimera.
Eugenie is known to be close to Harry – she was photographed with her cousin at the Super Bowl last February – and in her memoir, Spare, Harry writes that Eugenie and Jack were the first royals to meet Meghan.
Of this first meeting, Harry wrote: ‘I remember Euge hugging Meg like they were sisters.’
Pregnant Princess Eugenie showed off her growing bump last week when she went out to dinner at the Chiltern Firehouse in London.
Sarah Ferguson, 63, and Princess Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, were later seen coming home from the private club Maison Estelle.
Eugenie gave birth to her first child, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who is 13th in line to the throne, at London’s Portland Hospital in February 2021.
Last week, Princess Eugenie showed off her growing baby bump when she went out to dinner at the Chiltern Firehouse in London.
She was seen leaving the Marylebone restaurant last Tuesday night.
The mother flashed a welcoming look as she joined her mother Sarah Ferguson, 63, for dinner.
The Duchess of York, who declared herself in ‘grandmother heaven’ at the happy news, was later seen leaving Maison Estelle with Princess Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Posting an Instagram tribute to her youngest daughter last week, Fergie wrote: ‘You’ll be sharing puddles Augie! Great news, granny sweetheart…. So deeply grateful.
This came after Eugenie shared the news of her pregnancy by posting an adorable snap on Instagram showing her one-year-old son, August, kissing her stomach last Tuesday.
Princess Eugenie quickly followed up a formal statement about her second pregnancy with an Instagram post, showing her son August hugging her blossoming baby bump, revealing that she will give birth in the summer.
The royal shared that her husband, financier Jack Brooksbank, had taken the snapshot.
She wrote: “We are so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer.”
There was also a camera emoji and the words ‘by Jack’.
It wasn’t the first time the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York had delivered big personal news in this way: she took a similar approach in 2020 when she announced she was expecting her first child.
Posting a photo of baby slippers on Instagram, she wrote: “Jack and I are so excited for the start of 2021.”