Everybody’s favorite Captain Obvious royal reporter Katie Nicholl is at it again! Nicholl once again provided the scoop, as she does so often, about the current royal headlines. Did you hear that Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank love their newborn baby? Here’s a hot gossip tip: August is an unusual name for a baby born in February! WHO KNEW! But it’s not all obvious statements from Royal Oracle Nicholl. No, she slipped in something which I find kind of shady. See if you can find it.
Living the good life with their baby boy! Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank are thrilled to be new parents to their adorable son, August.
“We’re told that Eugenie and Jack are doing really well,” royal expert Katie Nicholl tells ET. “They are thrilled to be parents. They are absolutely overcome with love and emotion for their little son.” The couple welcomed their baby boy on Feb. 9, and revealed his special name earlier this week — August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
“It was very special that [Prince] Phillip — of course, Eugenie’s grandfather to whom she’s incredibly close — has been honored and [paid] tribute to in the naming of their child,” Nicholl shares. She also says of the baby’s unique first name, “August is an unusual first name [as] he’s not an August baby. But apparently it was the name that the couple really like.”
According to the royal expert, Princess Eugenie — the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson — and her husband “tend to be very modern when it comes to parenting,” so they’ve thus far decided to forgo a royal title for their newborn son. “They don’t want that burden of a royal title [on] their son. I think this little royal is going to grow up an ordinary little boy indeed.”
“I think this little royal is going to grow up an ordinary little boy indeed.” WOW! Look at that baby, how terribly ordinary! I get the point Nicholl was trying to make, which is that a princess gave birth to a commoner child and the princess did it by choice. As much as everyone yells at me over this issue, I still believe that if Jack WANTED a title, the Queen likely would have given him one. Like, Jack would have been given some historically minor earldom or viscount title and the Brooksbank children would be styled like Prince Edward’s kids, as “Lady WhatsIt” and “Lord Whatever.” But Jack didn’t want a title, he wanted to be able to make money as a Casamigos ambassador. And clearly, Eugenie and Jack both want to give their kids a life beyond the royal mess. Terribly moderately ordinary!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Instagram.
I think she was trying to say “Look! Princess Eugenie isn’t demanding her son get a title! So why should Meghan want one!?”
Because no one gives a shit about Eugenie or are actively threatening her and her baby’s life, THAT’S why!
Yes, Katie Nicholl was definitely shading Meghan and Harry wanting their son to be a prince, even though they only wanted that if it led to protection for him.
I hope Vanity Fair cancels Katie Nicholl as she is such a horrible Royal Reporter.
I believe nothing coming from her. Unless the Subject says it directly it’s just noise. You can, however, read between the lines which of course is to shade Meghan. Archie needed a title for security. Eugenie still has some level of tax funded security so of course her infant would be protected by association.
This is such bs these people can’t leave Meghan alone.
Charles cut off Beatrice and Engenie’s tax payer funded security years ago. Much whining from Andrew commenced.
100%
Actually we don’t know at this point. The BRF are a bunch of liars.
The baby is cute. That’s all I got.
I’ll add that Jack looks absolutely ecstatic, and that’s cute, too.
Agree. His smile is pure joy.😊
That is such a sweet picture. He looks proud as punch!
I wonder if it was their choice about titles. Isn’t this the same story that was put out about M&H? Charles and William probably want them untitled. Eugenie only had the titles because Andrew pushed. I would bet he would push for his grandson also.
You’re right. Never trust what a royal reporter says.
Eugenie has the title because she’s the granddaughter of the Monarch per the George V convention. I’ve no doubt that Andrew would otherwise try to bully his way into August having a title, even though he’ll never be eligible, but that’s not why Eugenie has hers.
Then why don’t Zara, Peter, Louise and James have a Prince/Princess title?
Zara and peter dont have one because they aren’t grandchildren in male line. They’re grandchildren in the FEMALE line, so no title. Had their father been given a title, then they would have been titled, but they still would not have been HRH Prince/princess (they would have been like Princess Margaret’s children, and been lord and lady.)
Louise and James DO have prince/ss titles and they do have HRH, they just choose not to use them and they go by Lady Louise and Viscount Severn (one of his father’s lesser titles) instead. At age 18, they’ll be able to decide if they want HRH or not.
Eugenie is HRH Princess because her father is the son of a reigning monarch. Titles pass through the male line. This is why Princess Anne’s children were not HRH Prince/Princess at birth and since Mark Phillips was not given an earldom on his marriage, Peter and Zara have no other title. Princess Margaret’s husband was made an earl and his children have the titles applicable to the son and daughter of an earl. Their son has now inherited the earldom and is the 2nd Earl of Snowden.
There is not the remotest possibility of Eugenie’s husband being ennobled and therefore August will not have any title.
Titles make no difference to place in the line of succession and August Brookesbank follows his mother and is in front of Prince Edward and his children.
It’s easy to forgo title and protection services when literally no one is interested in your family. I do it all the time 🙂 The Sussex situation is obviously so different.
“I do it all the time”….LOL I know, right?
The Sussex situation is ENTIRELY different. You are so right w/this observation
Does Nicholl actually think people named “August” are named after the month? Is she dim?
I laughed so hard at that part. And then she added that apparently that’s the name the couple likes, who would have thought?
when they announced the name, so many people on twitter making the same comment, not realising the name Augustus existed before the month August. It was funny
Vanity Fair used to have phenomenal journalists in the ‘90s-2000s like Dominick Dunne. And now we get “August even though he was born in February” o.m.g.
My son was born on August 1st so… should I rename him February? He’s 4 so it might be a struggle….
Yes, that was very dim of her to say that….tell me again how she got her job?
@kaiser – I believe this “No Title” business is 100% Jack too.
But Meghan and Harry were senior working Royals with legitimate concerns about their sons need for security. And yes, for you bitter b****** in the back, that if he has a birthright to a title upon the attention of Charles to the throne that he should get one, because that’s what the rules currently literally say.
Eugenie and her sister are not working Royals but still have their hrh titles and Charlotte and Louie got HRH branding ttoo and they aren’t even going to be king or queen either. So I really don’t understand why people are getting so upset about the duchess saying that they were trying to take away a title from her child when that’s exactly what they were trying to do and they aren’t trying to do that with anybody else right now, if anything they’re offering stuff to people all willy-nilly.
“Eugenie’s grandfather to whom she’s incredibly close” Seriously, is anybody in that family close to anyone, never mind incredibly close? Okay, I believe Andrew and Fergie love their girls unconditionally, but does anyone else in that family seem capable of being close?
Beatrice and Eugenie are close with Philip and QEII, because they were raised at Windsor and spent many weekends with them in addition to annual long stays at Balmoral and Sandringham. Go watch the video of Beatrice talking about the revamp of The Little Cottage at Royal Lodge Windsor.
I don’t think Charles would have given them a title at all. And it seems like he is driving the title bus. Giving her a title opens a big can of worms.
And Eugenie understands her place Charles has been communicating her place to her for a very long time. Since she was a child. Clearly that consistent message has not been given to Harry.
Do these asshole “royal reporters” do any actual work, you know like literally any research into their stories?
The baby’s first name was for Eugenie’s 5 times grandfather Prince Albert who was christened Franz Albert August Karl Emmanuel
His next was for Prince Philip
And then Hawke for Jack’s 5 times grandfather
This is literally how Eugenie said they named him.
Reporter Knuckle is lazy and stupid
She’s been speaking about the royals for decades and still doesn’t know WTF she is talking about!!
It’s not freaking “modern” to not title your child. Even without doing a full survey of all of the great-grandchildren of monarchs past, Peter Phillips is 43 years old.
Also, I propose calling people like Katie Nicholl “royal commentators” rather than “royal reporters”. The actual “reporting” here is basically passing on a press release. And while a reporter should put context around the story (e.g., calling all Trump’s bs “unprecedented”, etc.), so many of these stories are just so laden with weasel words and spin I just don’t think it’s reporting at a certain point.
Notice something else. THEY decided to forgo a title. So that means they were given the option vs Meghan who was not.
They decided to forgo a title the same way I can decide to forgo a title for my child. Meaning: it was nevever going to happen because baby August is not entitled (no pun intended) to it. They’re trying to make it seem like it was Eugenie’s choice so they can shade the Sussexes but it wasn’t.
“They’ve thus far decided to forgo a royal title for their newborn son.”
She makes it sound like it’s an option ?? Eugenie is a Princess because she’s the grandchild of the Monarch, but … titles still pass through the male line and Jack and Eugenie don’t have titles… If Jack didn’t get a title at the wedding, he’s never getting one. Charles certainly won’t let the York princesses’ husbands have titles.
Katie Nicholl is so dim.
Exactly! We now know this is the go-to if the Royal family. These women chose to forgo titles as opposed to sexist progenitor laws around titling. Because for some reason, they didn’t create an Earldom for Brooksbank, well they can’t title the child who isn’t eligible for a Princely title anyways.
I wonder what’s gonna happen with Katie long term. Right now America is fully team Sussex but Katie’s power and scoops come from Kensington. Right now most Americans offline hate Charles not necessarily William and Kate but long term if Kensington keeps up the dirty fight they will be pushed even further into the villain role against the “American royals”. Katie makes her money from American media. A decade from now unless Kensington gets better PR people an anti Sussex pro Kensington royal reporter is not going to have a lane in American media. And what if Will and the family decide to throw the married in Kate under the bus when they no longer have Harry and Meg. Again Katie is more Middleton than Kensington source will she choose the future king or Carole and Kate. I truly wonder long term what she is willing to do to protect her career. Will she choose the money of the American media or the prestige of the royals/future king. Right now the battle is still being done on the British media’s terms. But the reason kicking Meg and Harry out of the family was dumb is cuz the royal family created a charismatic homegrown power base where all the money is. You could argue that America essentially funds the British family thru their tourism and obsession. My understanding is to the Brits the royals are just a soap opera living off welfare. The fancy brits respect it but the regular brits just care because Elizabeth is living history at this point. It’s the Americans that care about the royal fantasy and are willing to spend billions and promote it throughout the Anglo speaking world. If Americans lose interest or focus all their interest (and money) on Sussex all those tourism stats that the royalists like to bring out are gonna start seeming pathetic. The firm and the brits may not want to admit it but American interest and money has been the reason the royals remain relevant. And they’ve gave the Americans (and media) everything they could have wanted in a charismatic homegrown couple with the prestige and none of the silly rules and the ability to do media. And Americans won’t care about if Meghan is “really” a princess. To them she is and they will spend accordingly. It’s why even if you are a royalist this whole campaign to drive her out was such an own goal. And to bring it back to Katie fair or not American media will want royal “reporters” to be pro Sussex because that is where their interest lies. Omid knows where his bread is buttered. The others like Katie and Victoria etc are either going to change or get kicked out and it will be interesting to know what they choose long term
She could do straight reporting instead of also taking on the role of PR / spin machine for the personalities she covers. Not that I think this will happen.
I think it is weird that the implication coming from the royals is that only bad/grabby parents would want their babies to have titles. I mean, I sort of agree! But it is weird that The Royal Family itself would make that argument.
More generally, I don’t think it is necessary to assume that everything Meghan and Harry do is amazing and great and everything the royal family does is terrible and calculating. It’s very clear that the royal family overall vis a vis Meghan and Harry is the worst. It really doesn’t matter if Meghan and Harry also did some calculating things or were occasionally rude to their staff. It doesn’t change the badness of what the royal family did at all. But a lot of the explaining away of every single thing really just makes me roll my eyes. Titles and security do not go hand-in-hand, which is pretty obvious from the Yorks in the first place. I’m sure Meghan is aware. I don’t blame them for playing the game, but let’s not pretend that they are not or never were until recently.
Except that the York princesses DID have security growing up bc they were HRH.
Once again, this ALL goes back to Liz being unable to say no to Andrew or put her foot down in any way where he’s concerned. He threw a fit and Mommy let him have what he wanted, so now the York girls have titles and it’s made it much more complicated to explain Archie’s situation.
Lorelei: The York girls were born with titles. As grandchildren through the male line of a reigning monarch they were automatically HRH Princess. The same applies to Edward’s children. Their parents decided to raise them without using HRH status and using instead the titles applicable to children of an earl however they are legally HRH and can choose touse Princess/Prince when they are 18.
Anne’s children are not HRH because they are not born through a male line. They have no title at all because their father has no title. This is also why Eugenie’s child has no title and will never have a title.
Archie is not currently HRH but when Charles is King he will be HRH Prince Archie because he will be the grandchild of a reigning monarch through the male line. He will also inherit the title of Duke of Sussex.
Jack could have an Earldom and still make money like most non-royal Earls. Even ones closely connected to the royals like the Earl of Snowden have jobs. I think he just didn’t want one ala Mark Phillips or perhaps the days of granting one to make them suitable for a Princess are just long gone.
I like Eugenie and I have a soft spot for Beatrice, too. They have horrible parents who ironically are miles above Charles in the parenting department and they’re stuck with Kate lording it over them and you know she’s a bully to them. I wonder how the queen really feels? She’s obviously close to Eugenie, Beatrice, Harry but she’s protecting Willcandescent and his useless lazy wife because he’s the heir.
The story is another way for the palace and Katie Nichols to pit these 2 women against each other and especially now that it’s come out that they were friendly before she ever met Harry.
Charles is just gross. I thought he was supporting them behind the scenes but it’s apparent now that he’s just as guilty as Will is for the smears. I can’t believe he set up trusts/money for Camilla’s grown ass children but refused to protect his own son and grandson. He has private wealth and makes millions a year.
The baby looks just like his daddy.