Princess Eugenie reveals the special meaning behind her son's name

Photo credit: Princess Eugenie - Instagram
Photo credit: Princess Eugenie - Instagram

From Cosmopolitan

Eleven days after giving birth to her first child, a baby boy, Princess Eugenie has revealed his name, shared some adorable first photos of him and explained the special meaning behind the moniker that she and husband Jack Brooksbank have settled on. Sharing the news through a personal post on Instagram, Eugenie announced that her son's full name is August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, and uploaded three pictures of herself and Jack holding him (which she added were taken by a midwife).

"We wanted to introduce you to August Philip Hawke Brooksbank...💙💙💙⁣ Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can't express. We are excited to be able to share these photos with you," the new mother wrote. "📸 By our wonderful midwife. Thank you to the wonderful essential workers including our midwife who came to discharge our boy."

She shared further details about August's name on her Instagram Stories too, writing that it pays tribute to both her grandfather, Prince Philip, and other family members from Jack's side. "On his grandfather's birthday weekend, [and] thinking of my grandfather, we are introducing our little boy," Eugenie began. "He is named after his great grandfather [Philip] and both of his great x5 grandfathers. August Philip Hawke Brooksbank."

It's believed that August's first name pays tribute to Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, whose full name was actually Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel. Prince Albert is the new royal baby's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.

The middle name Philip clearly is a nod to The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, who is Eugenie's grandfather – the homage comes at an especially poignant time given that Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was admitted to hospital a couple of days ago (the Palace say it's a "precautionary measure" and that he is in good spirits).

'Hawke' comes from August's father Jack's side of the family, with Reverend Edward Hawke Brooksbank (born in 1789) being Jack's great great great great paternal grandfather.

Photo credit: Princess Eugenie - Instagram
Photo credit: Princess Eugenie - Instagram

According to popular baby name site, Nameberry, August is a traditionally male name that derives from the Latin word meaning "great" or "magnificent". Philip is Greek in origin with the meaning "lover of horses" (which is pretty bang on, considering the Duke of Edinburgh was born in Corfu and does indeed have a passion for equestrianism). Hawke is thought to be inspired by the bird of the same name.

Welcome to the world, August Philip Hawke! We're big fans of your unique name and bet that when it comes to starting school a few years down the line, you won't have to worry about having a classmate with a similar one – which is always a bonus. 😍

The latest issue of Cosmopolitan UK is out now and you can SUBSCRIBE HERE.

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.


You Might Also Like