Who is Jack Brooksbank? The wine merchant and former nightclub manager married to Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie and her long-time partner Jack Brooksbank tied the knot after nearly a decade of dating on October 12, 2018.

And this week the pair are set to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.

Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, dated Jack Brooksbank for seven years after meeting through a mutual friend at the Swiss ski resort Verbier. They tied the knot in an autumn wedding at Windsor Castle.

Here's what you need to know about her husband, Mr Brooksbank.

Where did the couple meet?

The Queen’s granddaughter, 33, met Mr Brooksbank, 37, around 12 years ago through friends when they were both in the Swiss skiing resort of Verbier. He quickly became known in her circle of friends as her boyfriend.

Their relationship had already survived Eugenie moving to Manhattan to work for an online auction house.

They kept in regular touch via Skype and were still “very much together” despite the 3,000-plus miles between them.

In 2017, the couple reportedly went together to Balmoral to celebrate Prince Harry’s birthday, where they got the royal blessing for their marriage from the late Queen Elizabeth II.

What does he do?

Mr Brooksbank, the son of a chartered accountant, was educated at Stowe public school in Buckinghamshire where fees are, according to Tatler, £8,500 per term.

But he decided not to go to university and instead wanted to pursue his dream of working in catering and hospitality.

He later worked at the Admiral Codrington pub in Chelsea before being poached by “clubs king” Piers Adam — co-founder of Mayfair royal haunt Mahiki — to join the team at the Markham Inn gastropub in Knightsbridge. He went on to become the manager of Mahiki but left to set up a wine merchant business, Jack Brooksbank Ltd.

He is a brand ambassador for Casamigos Tequila, owned by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman. He said in an interview his ambition was to “create a chain of pubs”. He added: “It has been my dream since I was 18. I have fond memories of Sunday roasts in pubs with log fires, and it’s something I want to recreate.”

What do their families think?

Mr Brooksbank is said to be very close to Eugenie’s parents and is often pictured in their company.

The Duke and Duchess of York were “delighted” by the news that they would wed.

Nicola and George Brooksbank, the parents of Mr Brooksbank, also spoke of their joy at the news at the time.

The couple said in a brief statement: "We could not be more delighted with the news of the engagement.

"We are completely over the moon and are very excited for them both."

The wedding details

The pair were engaged in Nicaragua and wed in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in the autumn of 2018 – months after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in the same spot in May 2018.

Eugenie wore a custom white wedding dress designed by Peter Pilotto which had an off-the-shoulder neckline with a full pleated skirt and accessorised her gown with a bejewelled emerald tiara which was lent to her by her grandmother - the late Queen.

The bridal party included Princess Charlotte as bridesmaid and Prince George as page boy.  Eugenie’s sister, Beatrice was also appointed Maid of Honour.