It was happy family news that could signal a positive new beginning for the royal family and help to mend fractured relationships.

When Princess Eugenie announced last week that she and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, are expecting their third child, it brought hope of happier times ahead after the turbulence of recent months.

The news is certainly a welcome distraction for the royal family in a year that has seen Eugenie’s father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and her mother, Sarah Ferguson, going into hiding over her and her former husband’s links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

pregnant Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank arriving at St George's Chapel© Getty
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are expecting baby number three

Buckingham Palace announced the happy news in a statement, confirming that the baby is due in the summer and that the couple’s sons, August, five, and Ernest, two, are “very excited to have another sibling join the family”.
The palace added: “His Majesty the King has been informed and is delighted with the news.”
Meanwhile, Eugenie, 36, shared an adorable photo of her sons holding a picture of her ultrasound scan with the caption “Baby Brooksbank due 2026!” followed by a series of hearts and a baby emoji.

Ernest and August looking at a baby scan© Instagram
The sweet image shows Ernest and August looking at a baby scan

The new arrival, who will be 15th in line to the throne, pushing the Duke of Edinburgh into 16th place and the Princess Royal from 18th to 19th, brings hope that Eugenie and her sister Beatrice, 37, might find their way back into the royal fold after questions were raised about their financial affairs and their own meetings with Epstein.
They have not been seen with the wider family since they joined the King for Christmas at Sandringham,  were absent from the royal Easter Sunday church outing, and are not expected to attend Royal Ascot next month.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie sitting together in a carriage© UK Press via Getty Images
The York sisters are not expected to attend Royal Ascot this summer

Emily Nash, HELLO!‘s royal editor, says: “Regardless of all that has gone on with her parents, this is wonderful news for Princess Eugenie and will give the whole royal family something positive to focus on after a tough few months. It’s something joyful and hopeful in the middle of what has been a very grim chapter in the York family’s history.
“The King’s warm words show that he still has a great deal of affection for Eugenie and that he has not ostracised his nieces. We might well start seeing them at family gatherings again.”

Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie attending the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church© PA Images via Getty Images
The King still shares a warm relationship with his nieces

Whether the new arrival brings the Yorks closer together remains to be seen. With Andrew living in exile on the Sandringham estate – a man was charged last week after Andrew was allegedly threatened in an incident near his home – and Sarah most recently spotted at a luxury ski chalet in Austria, Eugenie and Beatrice have not been seen with their parents in months.
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Andrew and Sarah are sure to attend their grandchild’s christening, which is likely to be a low-key affair like the one Beatrice hosted for her daughter Athena in December at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace. The wider royal family did not attend the service, which was followed by a gathering for close friends and family at a local pub.

The Princesses' mother, Sarah Ferguson, is delighted with the baby news© Getty
Sarah Ferguson is in hiding

“This baby will be born into very different family dynamics to those experienced by his or her older siblings,” Emily says. “While their grandmother and grandfather have spent plenty of time with August and Ernest, they are likely to keep more of a distance this time around, although I’m sure Sarah will find it very hard to stay away from a new grandchild.”