Why Princess Eugenie Was Not Happy About Meghan Markle's Baby News

2018 will go down as a huge year in the history of the royal family. The union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didn't just capture the imagination of the British public, but also billions around the globe. Interest in the royals had been waning ever since the shocking death of Harry's beloved mother, Princess Diana, but the arrival of Kate Middleton on the scene reversed that trend and created a new space where someone like Markle could shine.

Many still prefer Middleton to Markle, but the now-retired actress has added a touch of Hollywood flair to The Firm, and more importantly, she's brought diversity, becoming the first mixed-race woman to marry into the royal family. But while Queen Elizabeth may have been "delighted" to hear news the Markle was pregnant, one of her granddaughters allegedly had a very different reaction. Princess Eugenie, daughter of the queen's second son, Prince Andrew, was allegedly absolutely furious following Markle's big pregnancy reveal, and here's why.

It wasn't so much the news itself that supposedly upset Eugenie, but rather the timing of it. According to various reports, former Suits star Meghan Markle allegedly chose to drop the royal baby bomb right in the middle of Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank, who works as the European brand manager for Casamigos Tequila. The princess' big day had already been tainted by accusations that her wedding was a waste of taxpayers' money (the price tag was reportedly about $3 million), but the baby reveal supposedly "tipped Eugenie over the edge." 

"Eugenie disappeared for a while after Harry and Meghan told the royal family the news," a source told Radar Online. "She felt furious at having been upstaged again by Harry and Meghan." The insider claims the minor royal was so angry that she immediately left the room following Markle's spotlight-stealing bombshell. Radar's spy put it into perspective like this: "One, their wedding at the chapel was watched by millions on TV and in person, compared to the hatred that was slung at a Eugenie for spending so much on her day. Secondly, she then was beaten at her reception by Meghan when she announced she was expecting."

Eugenie and her sister, Beatrice, have often been the subject of ridicule over the years, but Radar Online's royal insider claimed the younger York sister's alleged reaction to the baby news was understandable. "Any bride would have had their nose put out of joint by something like that," the source said. Why reportedly break the baby news during Eugenie's wedding only to make an official announcement from Kensington Palace just a few days later? 

"Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019," the palace announced in a statement (via the Independent). "Their royal highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public." Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, called it "lovely news" and added that she couldn't wait to meet her first grandchild, but should the rest of us even know about this yet? As a gesture of respect for his cousin, Harry and his wife could, and arguably should, have waited so Eugenie could have her moment.

Meghan Markle's alleged decision to spill the beans during Eugenie's ceremony may have poured salt on some pre-existing wounds. In April 2018, rumors emerged that Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice, were "at war" with Markle, according to a source who told New Idea that Bea and Eugenie were jealous and "just don't think Meghan is good enough to be a royal." The York sisters were apparently put off by a tense Easter gathering, and were also allegedly tired of being overlooked for royal duties in favor of the American newcomer. If that's the case, Eugenie already had a bone to pick with Markle before the royal rookie upstaged her at her wedding.

But wait, there's more royal drama! Rumor has it Eugenie wanted to marry Brooksbank in 2017, but she was denied permission to do so. "There was some talk about a wedding in 2017, but [Eugenie and Jack] had to wait for Harry to go first," a source within the royal camp told Vanity Fair in September 2018. "The feeling among the Yorks is that she deserves her moment in the spotlight and a big royal wedding with all the frills."

It's possible that it was just a crazy coincidence, but it doesn't seem like this alleged slight from Eugenie's mother was an accident. Moments after Kensington Palace dropped the official royal baby announcement online, Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson took to Twitter to post a picture of herself from her daughter's big day, thanking the designer of her evening dress (a silky green number by French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro) and completely ignoring the fact that Meghan Markle was pregnant.

Was this an intentional swipe at the American after she stole her daughter's thunder? The U.K. press seem convinced that it was. "Kensington Palace officially revealed the pregnancy at 8.40am this morning, on what is the 59th birthday of Eugenie's mother Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York," Daily Mail correspondent Mark Duell wrote on the day of the big pregnancy news (Oct. 15, 2018). "And at that exact time of the announcement, Sarah posted a tweet thanking the designer of her dress for the outfit worn on her daughter's big day last Friday."

The Daily Mail described it as a "tweetstorm," and while that might be a slight exaggeration, Ferguson's Twitter output following the royal baby announcement was unusually high. The Duchess of York had only tweeted twice in October prior to the official baby news, but as soon as Markle's pregnancy was officially announced, Fergie took to social media to praise her daughter and her daughter's marriage. 

"So proud of Eugenie and Jack," Ferguson captioned a snap of Eugenie and Jack exiting St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle — the same chapel in which Harry and Meghan wed. Two more festive photos followed, along with more well-wishes. 

Ferguson knows all too well what it's like to be on the fringes of the royal family — she almost lost her seat at the table all together in 1992, when tabloids printed photos of her so-called financial advisor, John Bryan, sucking her toes while the pair sunbathed in the South of France. The queen was said to have been furious when she found out over breakfast, but they have managed to rebuild their relationship in the years since the scandal.

Sarah Ferguson still lives with the queen's son at Windsor's Royal Lodge, despite divorcing in 1996 — four years after toe-gate. "We've never really left each other," Ferguson shared in 2016 (via PopSugar), and he proved they were still close by following her lead. Prince Andrew retweeted one of the wedding photos that Ferguson had posted (and wished her a happy birthday at the same time). He also reportedly made zero mention of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby news. So why did he seemingly choose to ignore it? 

According to reports, Andrew was allegedly at odds with the family over just how lavish Princess Eugenie's wedding should be. His older brother, Prince Charles, has allegedly been trying to phase the two princesses out as he attempts to trim the royal roster, but their grandmother supposedly wasn't having it. "The Queen adores the girls and is keen for them to have some kind of a role," an insider told the Daily Mail.

Not only did Eugenie have to put off her wedding until Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had theirs, but she also had to watch them walk down the aisle in the same venue she had chosen for her ceremony. There have been conflicting reports on who called dibs on St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle first, but according to one royal whistle-blower, it's common knowledge in the palace that Princess Eugenie has always dreamed of having her big day there. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, apparently knew this all too well, and she is said to have let Markle know it in no uncertain terms when she bumped into the American and new BFF Kate Middleton on the castle grounds.

"When they came face to face, Camilla really let Meghan have it," the insider told New Idea. "She told her she thought it was atrocious she and Harry were ruining Eugenie's wedding plans, that Harry should have known that Eugenie had always wanted to marry at St. George's chapel." A second source told the New Idea that Eugenie chose to still have her wedding at Windsor Castle as an act of defiance. "She thought marrying at the same church as Harry would be the ultimate revenge."

If there really is some kind of royal feud raging between Princess Eugenie and the Duchess of Sussex, then it likely started when the princess was allegedly told that she wasn't allowed to announce her own engagement. An insider told New Idea that Eugenie was "furious" when she was instructed to keep quiet about her engagement so Harry could announce his first. "It's really left a bad taste in her mouth," the source claimed. "Being proposed to is one of the most exciting moments in any young woman's life — and to think she was ordered to keep it quiet for months because of Prince Harry's impending engagement news was a real slap in the face for her." 

Eugenie was said to have turned that anger into determination, vowing to make her wedding "more fabulous and more memorable" than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's. "No-one expected two royal weddings in 2018, but Eugenie is promising that hers will be the one that everyone remembers," the source alleged, claiming that Eugenie wanted to wed just weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but palace officials reportedly denied her request for a July date and booked one in October instead.

Princess Eugenie's big day was never going to match up to Prince Harry's no matter how many famous friends she invited — the interest from the public just wasn't there. And people in attendance reportedly couldn't help but notice the differences between their two weddings.

According to a lip reader employed by the Mirror, the queen's eldest granddaughter told Harry the streets were "very quiet compared to the screaming at your wedding." Kerry Evans, a royal enthusiast who camped out for Eugenie's wedding, told the Hull Daily Mail that she practically had the place to herself: "At one point there were more journalists than people watching."

Fewer people may have shown up, but, at the end of the day, it's not about the numbers. It's about the bride and the groom, and a beaming Eugenie looked stunning. In fact, she wore a dress that showcased the scar on her back in an effort to raise awareness about scoliosis. Her wedding day memories may include some difficult moments, but we sincerely hope she has her happily ever after.