Did you notice what Princess Eugenie missed out of Adelaide’s name announcement? It subtly signals where she stands with her family
The King's niece partly named her daughter after Queen Elizabeth - but the other inspirations were left unexplained
Princess Eugenie's royal name announcement for her daughter Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank looks pretty traditional at first glance. However, there's something missing from the mum-of-three's statement that I noticed straight away.
The Princess said that Adelaide was named after "three people" she and Jack Brooksbank "love and admire past and present". The only one she specifically mentioned was Queen Elizabeth and no other members of Eugenie's family were obviously honoured.
This is a massive shift for the Princess, as she proudly detailed all the royal, Ferguson and Brooksbank relatives who inspired both her sons' names. It seems that this time around, Eugenie has subtly distanced herself and Adelaide from similar connections…
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's eldest child is August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who was named for Prince Philip. Eugenie said in the Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers documentary, "I brought little August to come and meet him. I told him that we'd named him after him. It was such a lovely moment.
When she became a mum for the second time in 2023, she announced her son Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank was named after several relatives. George was after his great, great, great grandfather King George V (as well as Jack's dad) and Ronnie was a tribute to Eugenie's maternal grandfather, Ronald Ferguson.
Given how much detail she went into both these times, Adelaide's name announcement is surprising. Apart from the reference to Queen Elizabeth, the Princess just added that her daughter's name is "part of English and Portuguese history, two places we love and call home."
There was a Queen Adelaide of Portugal, wife of King Miguel, as well as a Queen Adelaide of the UK who married King William IV. It was this second Adelaide that the Prince and Princess of Wales's former home, Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor was named after.
Windsor Castle and estate held a special place in Queen Elizabeth's heart and Adelaide is a German name, so this also honours the Royal Family's German heritage. It's interesting that Eugenie focused on historical connections and generally steered away from modern family links - for example, including Sarah or Beatrice as nods to her mum and sister.
Perhaps this was to be expected after the scandals that have surrounded Eugenie's parents. Her dad Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his princely title last year and was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office in February.
He denies all allegations of wrongdoing against him, though his former friendship with Jeffrey Epstein continues to be the focus of headlines. Eugenie's mum Sarah also knew Epstein and has been keeping a very low profile for months now.
Calling her daughter Adelaide Elizabeth strengthened the baby's royal links from a distance and although Annina could've been after one of her family members, this wasn't explicitly stated. It's possible Annina was chosen in honour of Jack's relatives.
This ambiguity keeps us guessing, but in keeping the other two people who inspired the baby's name private, Eugenie is drawing a line she hasn't before and not inviting further scrutiny involving her parents or their wider family.
