Princess Eugenie left wedding seat next to Andrew empty due to strict rule

12 October 2023 , 07:45

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Princess Eugenie left wedding seat next to Andrew empty due to strict rule

Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank will no doubt be celebrating today to mark their fifth wedding anniversary.

The pair married in a grand ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor in 2018 with their varied guest list including Eugenie's late grandmother the Queen, all of her royal relatives supermodel Cara Delevigne and singer Robbie Williams. In fact, more than 850 people packed into the chapel to see Eugenie and Jack exchange their vows. But if you look closely enough at pictures from the day you can see one prime seat at the front of the chapel in front of the former monarch was left empty.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at their wedding exactly five years ago (Getty Images)

However, it wasn't down to a no-show on the big day - it is actually down to the late Queen herself. That's because traditionally the monarch and the rest of the royals sit on the right-hand-side of the quire in St George's Chapel.

Her late Majesty is said to have preferred to sit in the second row of seats, as, according to The Sun, she found the front row uncomfortable. And with tradition dictating that no one is allowed to sit in front of the Queen and obstruct her view - this is why the seat was left empty.

Eugenie and Jack married in October 2018 (Getty Images)

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on their wedding day (Getty Images)

The same seat was also left empty months earlier when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in the same chapel and last year when a commital service for the late Queen was held there on the day of her funeral, an empty space was left in the row in front of King Charles.

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However, there was actually a member of the royal family missing on Eugenie's wedding day - Queen Camilla. Instead, she attended a school harvest festival in Scotland, which she had agreed to make an appearance at before Eugenie's wedding date had been confirmed.

Since marrying in 2018, Eugenie and Jack have welcomed two children - August, who was born in February 2021 and baby Ernest, who arrived in late May. Ernest's full name is Ernest George Ronnie and at the time of his birth, Eugenie explained the significance of the name. She said: "He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald."

Ernest's birth came two years after Eugenie's first born August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who arrived at the exclusive Portland Hospital in central London. His name also pays tribute to a late family members, including his great-grandfather Prince Philip, who died just weeks after Eugenie welcomed her son. In a documentary in September 2021, Eugenie revealed August got to meet Philip shortly before he passed away.

Jennifer Newton