Inside the down-to-earth childhood of Princess Eugenie’s sons August and Ernest: museum visits, playgroups and more

She could be royal and 11 years old^th in line with the throne, but Princess Eugenie seems to be giving her sons, three-year-old August and one-year-old Ernest Brooksbank, a very down-to-earth upbringing.

The mother-of-two shared some sweet personal snaps to mark Ernest’s first birthday on Thursday, giving a glimpse into their family life.

And Eugenie, who is married to Jack Brooksbank, has also previously opened up about motherhood, date nights with her husband and her close bond with her sister, Princess Beatrice, and their mother, Sarah, Duchess of York.

GOOD MORNING! takes a look at everything we learned about August and Ernest as they grew up in London.

Family outings

Like many parents of young children, Eugénie and Jack enjoy spending days outside with their young sons.

One of the last photos of August and Ernest shows the two little brothers exploring one of the exhibition rooms at the Natural History Museum in London.

Eugenie has also previously spoken about her love for ZSL London Zoo, sharing a photo from August with her cousin, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, as they watch the penguins swim in the pool.

“August and his cousin Sienna love going to London Zoo. It is part of the Zoological Society of London, a global wildlife conservation charity that helps restore habitats and protect wildlife. Every time you visit, you support their work.” Eugenie wrote in the Instagram post.

©Instagram

These are not just release days, they are also annual celebrations. Like many families at Easter, Eugenie appeared to have organized an egg hunt for her boys, with one of Ernest’s birthday photos showing the little one in front of a brightly colored egg in the garden.

© Instagram / @princesseugenie

And to celebrate her and Jack’s fifth wedding anniversary in October, the video montage included an image of the couple playing on a beach with August and Ernest.

Consumer fashion

Although royals have access to some of the world’s best fashion designers, they also enjoy shopping on the high streets.

© Getty

Like the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Eugenie and Jack also dress their sons in Zara, John Lewis and small companies such as The English Beagle and Uncool Wool.

© Instagram / @princesseugenie

And like many children their age, August and Ernest love dressing up, with August recently sporting a Spiderman costume and Ernest wearing his first football kit.

Future education

Appearing on the Table Manners podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware in December, the princess said she does not plan to send her sons to boarding school until they are 13.

“My husband went to boarding school when he was eight.” Eugenie explained. “Looking at my sons now, I want to spend time with them. I like playing with them. I don’t want them to leave.”

© Instagram / @princesseugenie

She added: “I wouldn’t send them at eight o’clock – I didn’t tell Jack.”

Eugenie also shared photos of her taking her sons to playgroup – a rite of passage when being a parent of young children.

No title

Since their birth, Eugenie’s sons have not had royal titles and are known as Master August and Master Ernest Brooksbank.

In fact, they take the rank of their father, Jack, who received neither earldom nor dukedom when he married Eugénie in 2018.

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