Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Will Princess Eugenie break royal birth tradition with first child?

The royal baby is due to arrive any day now

eugenie baby christening
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
Share this:

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank will welcome their first child this month and there are some royal birth traditions they are set to follow.

Typically, the Queen is the first to know about the baby's birth and an official announcement is placed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace.

A royal baby is also usually christened in a private baptism around three or four months after his or her birth, but this is one tradition Eugenie could decide to break.

READ: Princess Eugenie's royal baby's school is even more impressive than you'd expect

WATCH: A timeline of Eugenie and Jack's love story

Princess Eugenie was baptised at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in December 1990 and she was the first royal baby to have a public christening.

Her parents, the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York decided to give their youngest daughter a public baptism during the regular Sunday church service.

While the media and members of the public have gathered outside churches to see royal christenings in recent years, the ceremony has taken place behind closed doors.

MORE: Princess Eugenie baby name favourites revealed – and they're so cute!

MORE: The Queen won't be able to follow this tradition when Princess Eugenie's baby is born

princess charlotte christening© Photo: Getty Images

The Cambridges arriving at Princess Charlotte's christening in 2015

Photographers captured the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their sons Prince George and Prince Louis' christenings at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace in 2013 and 2018 respectively, while locals gathered to greet the royals at Princess Charlotte's baptism in Sandringham in 2015.

However, the christening service itself was not broadcast to the public.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a completely private baptism for their son Archie in Windsor in 2019. Instead, Prince Harry and Meghan released a series of family photos after the ceremony.

MORE: Where will Princess Eugenie give birth to her first child?

eugenie christening 1990© Photo: Getty Images

The royals at Eugenie's christening in 1990

Eugenie and Jack, who celebrated their second wedding anniversary last October, announced their baby news with an adorable Instagram post. It featured photos of the parents-to-be beaming at the camera together and holding a pair of John Lewis bear slippers. The Princess, 30, wrote: "Jack and I are so excited for early 2021..."

The official statement from Buckingham Palace read: "Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting a baby in early 2021.

"The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, Mr and Mrs George Brooksbank, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted with the news."

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.

More Royalty

See more