Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank were among the royal family members in London at Queen Elizabeth II‘s state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.
They entered alongside her sister, Princess Beatrice, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi before taking their seats in the second row. Eugenie, 32, and Brooksbank, 36, sat behind her cousin Prince William and his wife, Princess Kate, and two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Eugenie and Brooksbank married in October 2018 and welcomed son August in February 2021.
Monday’s service came after several days of the queen’s coffin lying in state. A brief procession from Westminster Hall took the casket across the street to Westminster Abbey, the state funeral began.
After the service, a procession began from the famed church to Wellington Arch before leaving London for Windsor. The final destination will be Windsor, where the state hearse will take the queen’s casket to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. A committal service will then take place before she is laid to rest in a tomb with Prince Philip, who died at age 99 in April 2021.
The state funeral marks the end of the official mourning period, which has involved several services honoring the late monarch. Eugenie has attended many, starting on September 10 in Scotland. The queen’s granddaughter was seen at Balmoral Castle two days after the queen’s death at age 96.
She then attended a remembrance service at Crathie Kirk with her father, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward as well as sister Princess Beatrice and cousins Lady Louise Windsor, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
Eugenie was comforted by the Duke of York as she started to cry while looking at tributes left for Elizabeth outside of her beloved Scottish estate.
It’s been an emotional time for the princess. She was also spotted quietly wiping tears away on Wednesday, September 14, during a brief service at Westminster Hall to mark the beginning of the queen’s lying in state, which allowed the public to pay their respects in person.
Eugenie was close to her grandmother and is widely thought to have been the one who arranged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s June meeting with Queen Elizabeth II during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti exclusively told Us Weekly at the time that the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson is thought of as “the go-between or a middle man” within the royal family.
“Princess Eugenie is a peacemaker,” the British journalist explained to Us. “Eugenie may have been the person to suggest the meeting … or to try and help arrange it, make the contact.”
Harry has always been particularly close to Eugenie. “Out of all the Queen’s grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie have one of the most natural connections,” authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand explain in the book Finding Freedom. “Like Harry, Eugenie is loyal, honest and great fun. The two had many nights out together in London.”
They are two of eight grandchildren the queen shared with Philip. The late royals also shared 10 great-grandchildren.
Like Eugenie, the Duke of Sussex is heartbroken by the loss of the queen. “Harry is guilt-stricken — full of sorrow and regret about not saying goodbye to the queen,” a source told Us of the Invictus Games founder days after the regent’s death. “They met up a couple of times during the Platinum Jubilee, but he by no means expected it to be the last time he saw her.”
The princess also has a tight bond with her sister. Beatrice and Eugenie broke their silence on the queen’s death together, penning a letter to their grandmother on Saturday, September 10.
“We’ve not been able to put much into words since you left us all. There have been tears and laughter, silences and chatter, hugs and loneliness, and a collective loss for you, our beloved Queen and our beloved Grannie,” they wrote in their extended tribute. “We, like many, thought you’d be here forever. And we all miss you terribly.”
The princesses continued: “You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those lessons and memories forever.”
After publishing the letter, they joined the queen’s other grandchildren to stand vigil at her coffin while she was lying in state at Westminster Hall on Saturday.
