Seven rare photographs of Ernest Brooksbank as Eugenie's son turns 3 today

Ernest is currently Eugenie and Jack’s youngest child, and will be until Eugenie gives birth this summer. Ernest was born on May 30, 2023, and is Eugenie’s second child. She had her first child, August, in 2021. Not long ago, Eugenie shared a photograph on Instagram of her two sons, looking at the baby scan of their new sibling. Ernest can be seen wearing a blue football kit in the sweet snap.

Ernest was described as a “golden boy” by his mum in a birthday post marking his second birthday last year. The princess wrote: “Happy Birthday, my darling Ernie. 2 today! And previously “I wanted to share the news that we had our little boy, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, on 30th May 2023 at 8.49, weighing 7.1lbs. It's been an incredible two years. Always smiling, always laughing, always giving hugs and hello's and making everyone happy. My golden boy, we love you!”

In previous photographs of Ernest and August, the two brothers appear to share a close bond. Over the years, photographs of the brothers have been shared online by Eugenie, showing them walking hand-in-hand, gardening together, and even looking out of a plane window together. It is believed the family are extremely close-knit.

While Ernest is unlikely to be a working royal in the future, his mum not holding the role, he is still in the line of succession. At the moment, Ernest is 14th in line to the throne, with his brother, August, 13th, and his mother, Eugenie, 12th.

While baby names are, of course, important and take a lot of thinking, Ernest’s name is particularly special to the family. This is because, when he was born, Eugenie explained that his full name was a nod to a number of important relatives. She said after her birth: “I wanted to share the news that we had our little boy, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, on 30th May 2023 at 8.49, weighing 7.1lbs. He is named after his great-great-great-grandfather George, his Grandpa George, and my Grandpa Ronald.”