Did you spot King Charles's careful wording in Princess Eugenie's birth announcement? I did - and it cleverly manages expectations
I think the Buckingham Palace statement made something crystal clear when it confirmed who had been told the happy news
I can't be the only one who spotted a big difference in how the Palace announced Princess Eugenie's pregnancy in May and the birth of her daughter. On 4th August the Royal Family accounts confirmed, "Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of The Royal Family were delighted to be informed of the news."
Meanwhile, when Eugenie confirmed she was expecting, the royal statement declared simply, "His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news."
At the time I thought that was interesting and it's even more intriguing to see a return to this more traditional way of ending a royal birth announcement. It's carefully worded and "The Royal Family" is capitalised, which I think makes King Charles's meaning quite clear.
Unlike the pregnancy announcement, this royal birth announcement mentions the wider family and shares not only that they were told, but that they're thrilled with the happy news. It publicly emphasises that Princess Eugenie is still close with the rest of the Royal Family after everything that's happened with her father.
Since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his Prince title and then arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, his daughters have been keeping a low profile. He denies all allegations of wrongdoing but the headlines kept coming and rumours spread that Prince William was distancing himself from his York cousins.
Fast-forward to summer and Eugenie and Beatrice attended Peter Phillips' wedding and Beatrice was seen being warmly greeted by William.
The reference to "other members of The Royal Family" in the Eugenie statement could be a way of setting any further speculation aside. The use of capital letters also makes it sound very official and makes me think of working royals like the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Andrew has no royal role anymore and isn't even a Prince any longer. That's not to say that he wouldn't have been told or be delighted about his granddaughter's birth, just that the phrasing of the Palace statement subtly seems to exclude him.
It keeps things unified and formal, with no mention of "both families" like we've seen in the past which would've immediately brought Eugenie's dad to mind.
King Charles has given the expected birth announcement in a way that manages to minimise the Andrew link as much as possible.
Since the Royal Family Instagram is an official account, you'd expect the King to be happy with any statement shared there and for it to reflect his views. His newborn great-niece is 15th in the royal line of succession and her name hasn't been shared yet.
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's sons August and Ernest each have a middle name with royal connections - Philip and George, respectively. It would be a sweet tribute to King Charles's beloved mother if the couple gave their little girl 'Elizabeth' as one of her middle names and I do think this is highly likely.
