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.
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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. 😍
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
