Princess Eugenie Might Break a Major Royal Tradition When Her Baby Arrives

• Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank (opens in new tab) could break a royal tradition when their first child arrives this month (opens in new tab).
• Typically, royal babies are christened in private services.
• But Eugenie was reportedly the first royal baby to be baptized at a public church service—and she might follow suit with her child.

Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank are expecting their first child together in February—and there's a chance they'll break a longstanding royal tradition when their little one arrives.

As Hello! reports (opens in new tab), royal christenings are typically private family affairs, with photos released after the event. But Eugenie was baptized by parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at a public church service—reportedly the first royal baby to be christened in public—and she might opt to follow suit with her own child.

Both the Cambridges and the Sussexes had their children christened in private services, Hello! notes. Kate Middleton and Prince William publicly announced the Cambridge kids' baptisms in advance, with royal fans and photographers gathering for the family's arrival at Prince George and Prince Louis's ceremonies, held at the Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace in 2013 and 2018 respectively, as well as Princess Charlotte's 2015 ceremony at Sandringham. The service itself, however, was not open to the public.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, meanwhile, opted to keep son Archie Harrison's baptism completely private, and released official photos after the ceremony took place.

Eugenie, meanwhile, was christened in 1990 at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, at a standard Sunday service open to the general public. And since her parents were the first to break this royal tradition, it seems very possible Eugenie could follow suit!

The royal announced her pregnancy (opens in new tab) in an Instagram post last September, sharing a photo of some teddy bear baby slippers with the caption, "Jack and I are so excited for early 2021...." Hello! subsequently reported Eugenie's due date as "mid-February"—which means a new royal baby could be right around the corner!