Princess Eugenie has upstaged Meghan Markle once again, this time by announcing the birth of her second child on the Duchess of Sussex's 45th birthday, August 4, 2026. The timing echoes the 2018 incident when Meghan and Prince Harry revealed their pregnancy news during Eugenie's wedding day.
Eugenie's announcement
Eugenie took to Instagram on August 4 to share the news that she and her husband Jack Brooksbank had welcomed a baby girl the previous day. She wrote: "Jack and I are so excited to announce Baby Girl Brooksbank!! We are beyond in love with our girlie."
Buckingham Palace confirmed the birth, stating the couple were "delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter," born on August 3 at 6.20pm in Lisbon, Portugal. The palace added that "Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of the royal family were delighted to be informed of the news."
A full-circle moment
The timing is a striking reversal of events from October 2018, when Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor, was overshadowed by the Sussexes' announcement that they were expecting their first child, Prince Archie. That news dominated headlines and shifted attention away from the bride.
Now, on Meghan's birthday, the spotlight has returned to Eugenie, with the new baby becoming 15th in line to the throne. The coincidence is heightened by the fact that August 4 is also the birth date of the Queen Mother, born in 1900, a beloved matriarch to whom Eugenie was close as a child.
While babies arrive on their own schedule, the irony of the timing is hard to ignore, leaving Meghan's birthday to compete for attention with the newest royal arrival.
