Less than five months after the global spotlight descended on Windsor, the historic market town will host another star-studded royal wedding Friday.
This time it is Prince Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, 28, who will walk down the aisle to tie the knot with fiancé Jack Brooksbank.
The ceremony will take place at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were married on May 19. While she is unlikely to attract the global attention bestowed on her cousin, Princess Eugenie’s wedding will not be a small affair.
At 11 a.m BST (6 a.m. ET), more than 800 guests, including the newlywed Sussexes, will gather in the gothic chapel. About 200 fewer individuals were invited to the Duke and Duchess’ nuptials.
Queen Elizabeth and most of the royals are expected to attend, including the princess’ parents, the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York. The one notable absence will be the Duchess of Cornwall, who is attending a longstanding engagement at a Scottish school.
Prince George, 5, will be page boy alongside Louis de Givenchy, 6, the son of JP Morgan banking executive Olivier De Givenchy and his wife Zoe. His 3-year-old sister Princess Charlotte is one of six bridesmaids.
The others include the Queen’s great-granddaughter Savannah Phillips, 7, her sister Isla, 6 – daughters of Peter Phillips and wife Autumn – and their cousin Mia Tindall, 4, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. Joining them is Princess Eugenie’s Maud Windsor – whose parents are Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor – and Theodora Williams, daughter of singer Robbie Williams and actress Ayda Field.
Princess Beatrice will be maid of honor for her sister, while the groom’s brother Thomas Brooksbank is best man.
Brooksbank is a brand ambassador for Casamigos tequila, founded by George Clooney and Rande Gerber, husband of supermodel Cindy Crawford. Clooney and wife Amal, as well as Crawford and Gerber, are expected to feature on the star-studded guest list.
Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York was born on March 23, 1990. At the time she was sixth in line to the throne, but has since fallen to ninth following the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children: George, Charlotte and Louis.
The princess’ parents announced their separation when she was two and divorced in 1996, sharing joint custody of Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice.
The princess first met her fiancé on a ski trip near Verbier in the Swiss Alps. Brooksbank proposed during a vacation in Nicaragua last winter.
The wedding service will feature a personal prayer by Archbishop of York John Sentamu, while David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, will give the address and officiate.
Opera singer Andrea Bocelli and members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will perform at the wedding, according to Buckingham Palace. Trumpeters from the band of the Household Cavalry will play a fanfare during the service, the palace announced.
As the couple depart the chapel, the steps will be lined with members of the Grenadier Guards. Eugenie’s father, Prince Andrew, is a colonel with the guards.
The newlyweds will leave in a carriage procession through Windsor, though the route will be far shorter than the one taken by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The cost of security will be borne by the taxpayer, which has raised concerns among republicans who note that the princess does not carry out official royal duties on behalf of the Queen.
The Queen will host an afternoon reception in the castle’s St. George’s Hall, with more celebrations planned for the evening at Royal Lodge, the York family home in Windsor Great Park.
