The second royal wedding of the year is just around the corner! Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are preparing to wed on Friday 12 October and royal fans can't wait for the big day. Read on to find out everything you need to know...
What will the cake be like?
Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who eschewed tradition with their lemon and elderflower cakes, Eugenie and Jack have decided not to go with traditional iced fruit cake. But unlike Harry and Meghan, this royal couple will be feasting on a red velvet and chocolate cake - which is described by Kensington Palace as "a traditional cake, with a modern feel."
The wedding service
The Archbishop of York has written a personal prayer for the couple which will be included in the Order of Service. The Dean of Windsor will give the address at their wedding. The Dean will also officiate as the couple make their marriage vows.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWho are Princess Eugenie's bridesmaids and pageboys?
Earlier this week, the palace revealed that Prince George and Princess Charlotte will act as pageboy and bridesmaid. Other bridesmaids include: Savannah and Isla Philips, the daughters of Autumn and Peter Phillips; Mia Tindall, four, the daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall; Maud Windsor, five, the goddaughter of Princess Eugenie and daughter of Lady Frederick Windsor and Lord Frederick Windsor; and Theodora Williams, who is the six-year-old daughter of Ayda Field and Robbie Williams.
Meanwhile, Louis de Givenchy, the six-year-old son of Zoe and Olivier De Givenchy, will join five-year-old George as pageboy. The Queen's youngest grandchildren, 14-year-old Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and ten-year-old Viscount Severn, who are the children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, will take on the role of Special Attendants.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCan I watch the royal wedding on TV?
Princess Eugenie's big day will be televised on ITV, with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford presenting a special edition of This Morning, entitled This Morning at the Royal Wedding. The special will capture the atmosphere and arrivals at St George's Chapel before crossing to live coverage of the ceremony at 11am. Viewers will be given an inside view of the wedding service, including the departure of the bride and groom as they leave the chapel.
After the ceremony, Eamonn and Ruth will share comments, discussion and reflection on the events of the morning. They will also be joined by guests, commentators and experts. Later on Friday evening at 8.30pm, HELLO! will broadcast a 30-minute highlights programme here on the website, The Royal Wedding: A Family Celebration.
© Photo: PAWhen is Princess Eugenie's wedding?
With the royal family's extremely busy individual schedules, nailing down a date that worked for everyone was no easy feat. In fact, Princess Eugenie and her fiancé had to move their wedding date so that Prince Harry and Meghan, who are set to travel to Australia for the Invictus Games and a tour Down Under in late October, will be able to make the nuptials.
The bride and groom decided on Friday 12 October – keeping with the royal tradition of marrying on a weekday. A statement from the palace was released a few days after the engagement announcement and read: "The marriage of Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie to Mr Jack Brooksbank will take place on 12th October 2018."
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhere is Princess Eugenie's wedding?
Eugenie and Jack have chosen to marry in Windsor, where the bride grew up. Royal fans will already recognise the venue of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle – it's the same place where Harry and Meghan said "I do" in May. And just like their cousins, Eugenie and Jack could share their first public kiss on the chapel's West Steps.
They will be the 11th pair to say "I do" in the historic building, joining Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly in 2008, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005, and Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex in 1999.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhere will Princess Eugenie's reception be held?
Reports have claimed the bride and groom will spread the celebrations over two days in Windsor, and if you thought Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was a star-studded affair, wait till you see Eugenie and Jack's guest list.
The palace has confirmed that after the service, the newly married couple will undertake a short ride in a carriage from the Royal Mews, out of Windsor Castle and on to part of the High Street. Opportunities for members of the public wishing to view the couple are on Castle Hill, the High Street and Park Street, echoing the route taken by The Earl and Countess of Wessex following their wedding. The carriage will not travel along the Long Walk.
Following the carriage procession, The Queen will give a Reception at Windsor Castle for the couple and their wedding guests. According to the Sunday Times, on the evening of 12 October there will be a black-tie reception at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. The following day, it is thought that guests will be treated to an afternoon party, organised by A-list party planning firm, Bentleys Entertainment. An insider said there will be everything from dodgems to funfair rides, as well as plenty of cocktails at the festival-themed bash.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhat will Jack Brooksbank wear at the wedding?
All eyes will be trained on Princess Eugenie and her wedding dress, but the groom will also be making an extra effort with his attire. In early September, the couple were spotted visiting a very exclusive Savile Row tailor, where Jack is thought to be having his morning suit fitted and made. Huntsman, who have existed on the iconic London fashion street since 1919, has dressed everyone from Prince Harry to Colin Firth – even given a royal warrant by Queen Victoria back in 1888.
Huntsman's more recent rise to fame, however, came in the form of the blockbuster Kingsman films, which were in fact inspired by the tailors. Its website reads: "Huntsman served as the inspiration for Matthew Vaughn’s blockbuster movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. During an appointment with his cutter, Vaughn, taken by the history on display at 11 Savile Row, imagined moving beyond the walls of the fitting room, with the legendary premises acting as a smokescreen for his team of spies, the Kingsmen."
© Photo: Getty ImagesHow much will the wedding cost?
The latest is that the wedding security will cost an estimated £2m, with taxpayers footing the bill. Just like Harry and Meghan's wedding, extra police officers will be drafted in to guard the quaint town of Windsor. Eugenie and Jack will also take part in a carriage ride around the town, meaning that police and sniffer dogs will be deployed to search the route beforehand.
Harry's cousin announced her engagement to long-term boyfriend Jack in January. The official announcement read: "The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Eugenie to Mr Jack Brooksbank. Her Royal Highness and Mr Jack Brooksbank became engaged in Nicaragua earlier this month. The wedding will take place in the autumn of 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor, with further details to be announced in due course."
© Photo: HELLO!What wedding dress will Eugenie wear?
We won't know until the day what kind of dress Eugenie will wear, but here at HELLO! we asked seven designers to show us their visions for the Princess' gown. Ines di Santo predicts a stunning ballgown with a demure, high neckline and long sleeves (left), while Ben de Lisi (right) envisions a sweetheart neckline, a belted waist and three-quarter length sleeves. We can't wait to see what Eugenie wears!
© Photo: Getty ImagesAre the public allowed to attend?
The Queen's granddaughter has invited members of the public to share in her big day. A total of 1,200 guests will be given access to the grounds of Windsor Castle, from where they will be able to view the arrival of the congregation and the royal family, listen to a live broadcast of the ceremony and watch the bride and groom depart St George's Chapel as man and wife. The palace received over 100,000 applications but whittled it down to 1,200 lucky guests.
Others who have been invited to watch the wedding from the castle grounds include representatives of charities supported by Princess Eugenie and Jack, children from the local schools that Eugenie attended as a young girl, members of the Windsor community, residents of Windsor Castle and a number of royal household staff.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWho is Princess Eugenie's maid of honour?
Unsurprisingly, Eugenie's older sister Princess Beatrice, who she is incredibly close to, will act as maid of honour on the day. Jack's brother Thomas Brooksbank will act as best man.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhich royals and celebrity guests will attend?
The guest list is usually kept under wraps until the big day, but members of the royal family are all expected to attend, including Eugenie's grandparents the Queen and Prince Philip. Her proud parents the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, who remain very good friends despite their divorce, will be top of the guest list, as will Eugenie's cousins, Prince William and Kate, and Prince Harry and Meghan. Zara and Mike Tindall are also expected to make up the royal party, as are Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn.
Prince Charles will attend without his wife Camilla, who has a previous commitment visiting a school. The Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent, is also confirmed not to attend the evening reception, as he has a dinner in London.
There will also be a few famous faces in the congregation. Fans can hope to see Eugenie's close friend Cressida Bonas, who used to date Prince Harry, and singers Ed Sheeran, James Blunt and Ellie Goulding, who all mix in royal circles. Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field are also expected to share some of the spotlight, alongside their daughter Teddy who is a rumoured bridesmaid.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWill the bride and groom take part in a carriage ride?
Eugenie and Jack will follow in the footsteps of many royal couples before them and take part in a carriage ride after the ceremony. The short carriage procession will take them from Castle Hill and along part of the High Street before returning to the castle via Cambridge Gate.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe wedding ring
Jack popped the question with a stunning ring that is almost identical to Eugenie's mother's engagement ring. The exquisite jewel features a unique padparadscha sapphire surrounded by ten brilliant-cut diamonds and two pear-cut diamonds. We won't see Eugenie's wedding ring until the day, but it will most likely follow in royal tradition and be made of Welsh gold. The royal family have used pure Welsh gold to create their wedding bands since 1923 – a tradition started by the Queen Mother.
The gold is particularly rare and originates from the Clogau St. David Gold Mine in Dolgellau, Wales, which is no longer in operation. On the website for Clogau jewellers, which sells jewellery containing the same Welsh gold used in royal weddings bands, the retailer offers a range of aptly named 'Windsor' wedding rings. Prices range from £360 to £1,320.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhat bouquet will Princess Eugenie have?
Again, we won't know until the day what flowers Eugenie has chosen to carry down the aisle. But there is one royal tradition she may follow – having at least one sprig of myrtle in her bouquet. The custom dates back to 1840, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. Myrtle, the emblem of matrimony, symbolises love and hope.
Like many royal brides before her, such as the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex, Eugenie may also choose to lay her bouquet on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey – a tradition that began with the Queen Mother.
Here, Beatrice and Eugenie are pictured as young bridesmaids - aww!
© Photo: InstagramThe wedding will be anti-plastic
Speaking in the September issue of British Vogue, Eugenie revealed: "My whole house is anti-plastic now, and Jack and I want our wedding to be like that as well." During the chat, she also revealed that the wedding-planning process has been a little daunting at times. "It's very nerve-wracking because you want it to be perfect but then you realise that you're going to be with the person you love forever and nothing else really matters," she said.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe wedding music
During the ceremony, Italian singer-songwriter Andrea Bocelli will perform two songs, and will be joined by members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). The second choice has an extra-special connection to Eugenie, as her dad Prince Andrew is the Patron of RPO. Following the announcement, James Williams, the RPO's managing director said it has been "a great pleasure" to help the couple choose the music for their wedding day.
