Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are about to become a family of five. Their third child is due this summer, and the arrival lands just as the couple marks son Ernest’s third birthday, his last before he becomes a big brother.
That is why Eugenie’s name is drawing fresh attention now. The royal, who split her time between Portugal and the UK with Brooksbank and their two sons, has been open about how much the family enjoys life in Comporta, where they also have a home. The search for what comes next is not just about where they spend the holidays. It is about where they will actually raise three children.
When the couple moved into Ivy Cottage on the Kensington Palace grounds in 2018, the house came with history as well as convenience. The renovated former staff property became their London base after they announced their engagement, and a black-and-white wedding portrait once hung in the hallway. It even served as the backdrop for a 2019 video with Ed Sheeran, when Prince Harry opened the door and welcomed the singer inside.
But Ivy Cottage has only three bedrooms, a detail that has started to matter more as the family grows. With August, Ernest and another baby on the way, the house may be tight even before routine questions of school runs, travel and where the family spends most of its time are factored in. Brooksbank also works with property tycoon Mike Meldman on a 300-home development in the Comporta area, adding another thread to the family’s life in Portugal.
Eugenie has already made clear which side of that life feels easier. On a podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware, she said Portugal is the dream because she can go to the supermarket in her exercise gear, with her hair piled on her head, and not care. She has also said August and Ernest love swimming there, calling August a fish and describing how whales and dolphins cover the walls. The question now is whether that easy rhythm becomes the family’s main one, or whether Ivy Cottage stays home despite the squeeze. More on Eugenie’s wider royal profile can be found in our report on the Princess Eugenie Charity Commission Case Opens Over Anti-Slavery Collective.
