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With his hand in his pocket and a rucksack on his back, Princess Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank, appeared stoney-faced as he was snapped exiting a Dior store on London’s swanky Bond Street on May 18.
It was a far cry from the beaming smile the 40-year-old had given onlookers as he and his pregnant wife enjoyed a date night in Notting Hill just hours before announcing they were expecting their third baby together on May 4.
Now, sources have revealed how while on the surface it’s business as usual for the couple, who are already proud parents to two young boys, August and Ernest, behind the scenes Eugenie, 36, is worried sick about her future and it’s become “almost too much to take”.
Insiders suggest that Jack was on a secret mission for a heart-warming gift to lift the spirits of his wife on the day he was spotted at the Dior store, and it’s likely the token of appreciation would be warmly received given that in recent months Eugenie has suffered blow after blow.
First, there was the shock arrest of her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then there came the news that her anti-slavery charity, the Anti-Slavery Collective, was facing scrutiny from the Charity Commission over concerns relating to its spending.
“Eugenie’s under so much pressure right now, as if everything with her dad wasn’t enough, she’s now got this crisis with her charity getting investigated, it’s almost too much to take,” a source now tells Woman’s Day.
While, publicly, Buckingham Palace has come out in support of the princess – notably announcing the news of her pregnancy via its official channels – the insider says Eugenie needs “people she can trust that she can talk to”, and that may not include senior royals right now.
While the source explained Eugenie’s inner circle has “shrunk considerably”, her cousin Harry is reportedly one of the “few people” she can still trust.
“He has always been one of her favorite people, she lost a lot of points within the family when she refused to freeze him out but she says there was never a chance that she’d turn on him,” the source goes on. “And now she’s even more relieved that she didn’t give into pressure and turn her back on him and Meghan because they’ve now become her biggest supporters.
“She’s even gone so far as to say they’ve been integral to her survival,” the insider adds. “Having at least one person from the family that is telling her she doesn’t deserve any of this has meant everything to her.”
The source adds that Eugenie has a “connection” and a “ton of empathy” for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, too.
“Now that [Eugenie’s] felt firsthand what it’s like to have the entire establishment aligned against you, their bond is that much stronger,” they explain.
