Why the birth of Princess Eugenie’s baby is bittersweet for the Queen

The Queen
(Image credit: Getty Images / Max Mumby/Indigo / Contributor)

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their first son yesterday, but the royal baby's birth date is a bittersweet one for the Queen.

Happy news for the royal family came yesterday as Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announced the birth of their first child together. 

Their son was born on the 9th of February, weighing 8lbs and 1oz.  

The royal tot is the first grandchild of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and the ninth great-grandchild of The Queen and Prince Philip

The new parents uploaded an adorable black and white Instagram photo of the little boy, holding his hand, simply captioned with three blue love heart emojis. 

A photo posted by on

Buckingham Palace also released a statement saying, “The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of York, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Mr. and Mrs. George Brooksbank have been informed and are delighted with the news."

However, the birth of the baby marks a bittersweet day for Her Majesty as it is the day her sister, Princess Margaret passed away 19 years ago. 

Princess Margaret the Queen and the Queen Mother

Credit: Getty
(Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)

The Queen’s only sibling, Princess Margaret was universally adored for her rebellious nature, quick wit, and her smoking habit and has been portrayed in Netflix's The Crown by Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Kirby. 

She passed away at The King Edward VII Hospital from a stroke on February 9th, 2002 at the age of 71, following ongoing health issues.

It's believed that this time of year is very painful for The Queen as just a few weeks after the funeral of Princess Margaret, The Queen Mother passed away.

The birth of Princess Eugenie's son, whose name has not yet been publicly confirmed, will hopefully add some feeling of joy around this time of year for the monarch.

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Lifestyle team and has recently earned her Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ. She has a background in design, having studied Illustration at Plymouth University but has taken a leap into the world of journalism after always having a passion for writing. She currently writes pieces on beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life.