Inside Prince Harry's Relationship With Cousin Eugenie
Born to the now King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, Prince Harry is considered a notable figure within the royal family. Given his family's lineage, the Duke of Sussex is only one of many within the line of succession for the British throne. With an ever-growing family tree full of future successors to come, in January 2020 Prince Harry announced that he was stepping back from his royal obligations to build a life of his own. Though splitting his time between the U.K. and North America is a feat one can applaud, Harry garnered a ton of heat amongst those in his family for this venture. Despite his rogue status, one family member, in particular, has maintained their relationship with the Duke of Sussex.
Daughter of Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie has developed a strong bond with her cousin Prince Harry for as long as she's been alive. According to the book "Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family" by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand stated, "Eugenie had always been more than just a cousin to Harry. They were also the closest of friends. Out of all the Queen's grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie have one of the most natural connections" (via People). Not only was she receptive to his relationship with Meghan Markle, but she was his dedicated confidant whenever things in his life would go awry. From accompanying him to his first Super Bowl to being the only royal family member to visit him in California, here's everything we know about Harry and Eugenie's tight-knit relationship.
Both initially bonded over the hardships of coming from royalty
Life under public attention took work for Prince Harry to adjust to. His disdain for the paparazzi's prying eyes grew as he watched how the media acted toward his family — especially his younger cousins. Since Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson (Princess Eugenie's mother) had a strong friendship, Harry and Princess Eugenie spent several holidays together. Given their royal status, their public outings, paired with the several media outlets looking for the latest scoop on their family, caused Harry discomfort growing up. So much so that in Netflix's docu-series, "Harry & Meghan," he revealed an incident in which he felt the need to protect cousins Beatrice and Eugenie following a barrage of paparazzi during a skiing trip. "Paparazzi used to harass us to the point of where we had to be forced into smiling and answering questions to the traveling press pack," he stated.
This disinterest in the paparazzi caused them to look to each other for moral support during their time under the royal family. To Prince Harry, his cousin Eugenie was one of the few to understand the issues he was dealing with. Nigel Cawthorn reinforced this notion during an interview with Daily Mail. "From an early age, Eugenie had to deal with the embarrassing headlines of both her father and mother," he revealed. "Harry had to deal with his share of headlines, too, and this bond between them was a great consolation for them."
Princess Eugenie congratulated Harry following the birth of his daughter
After marrying Meghan Markle in 2018, Prince Harry announced that the two were expecting a baby at Princess Eugenie's wedding in October of that same year. On May 6, 2019, the two welcomed their first child, Archie Harrison, into their household. After experiencing a miscarriage in 2020, Harry and Meghan took to their website Archewell to announce Meghan successfully gave birth to their second child. "It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world," the announcement read. "Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA."
Although this happened amid Harry's fallout with the royal family, they appeared receptive to their new baby. Prince Williams and Kate Middleton took to Instagram to congratulate the two on a successful birth. Another member of the royal family to welcome Lili with open arms was Harry's dear cousin, Princess Eugenie. According to People, Eugenie took to her Instagram story on June 6th, 2021, to share a heartfelt message praising her cousins. "Congratulations dear cousins.. we couldn't be happier for you all," she wrote.
Prince Harry once opened up to Princess Eugenie about an embarrassing date
As stated before, Princess Eugenie is Prince Harry's dedicated confidant. From his personal struggles with the royal family to his relationship woes, Harry has confided in his beloved cousin about details of his life he surely doesn't want out in the open. While this may have been the case following his royal exit, Harry took the time to poke fun at himself for a failed relationship that came and went before meeting Meghan Markle.
In Prince Harry's memoir "Spare," he revealed that his cousin Princess Eugenie set him up on a date with model and actress Cressida Bonas. After what appeared to be a successful first date, the two decided to go out again, which saw Harry drive Bonas home afterward. Given their interest in one another, Prince Harry attempted to go in for a kiss, but all they got was "something like a graze" (via Mirror). The awkward ending to their second date prompted Harry to call his cousin to share the story. To his surprise, Princess Eugenie already heard about their date from Bonas herself and expressed her disappointment toward Harry's embarrassing slip-up. "Disencouraged, I told her the date had gone well, but the ending had left something to be desired," he wrote. "She didn't disagree. She'd already spoken to Cressida. She sighed. Awkward."
Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie enjoyed the Super Bowl together in 2022
Prince Harry's royal exit saw him and Meghan Markle take up residency in Montecito, California. With most of his family residing in the United Kingdom, this meant he wouldn't see them as often as he may have wanted to. Nonetheless, his departure for financial independence served him well as he found himself in a state flooded with several celebrity figures. In 2022, Inglewood, California, was home to the 56th annual Super Bowl. As a dedicated sports fan, it was only natural for him to attend the event as it was located near where he lives.
Though other royal family members have yet to visit Prince Harry in California, Princess Eugenie took time out of her schedule to visit her beloved cousin. The two were spotted with black masks sitting next to each other in the 70,000-seat So-Fi Stadium to watch the Los Angeles Rams face off against the Cincinnati Bengals. Although the two tried to maintain a low profile, onlookers couldn't help but notice the fun they were having. From dancing to the hip-hop medleys from Los Angeles-native artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg to conversing with those in the VIP section, Prince Harry seemingly enjoyed the Super Bowl with his cousin by his side.
Princess Eugenie allegedly argued with her sister following Harry's quarrel with the royal family
In light of Prince Harry's departure from his royal duties, the royal family was reportedly upset about his decision. While this caused a rift between he and his family, his decision also put Princess Eugenie in an awkward position. With her deemed as the impartial one, Eugenie has kept the ties between her and the opposing sides of the family strong throughout their royal quarrel. However, Eugenie doesn't seem to appreciate any passive-aggressive notions from either side.
According to Mirror, a source told the publication Princess Eugenie allegedly argued with her sister Princess Beatrice for announcing her pregnancy on the same day as Harry and Meghan Markle's third wedding anniversary. Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank believed that — despite her sister's initial intentions — it seemed like a ploy to snag the headlines away from their cousin. Though Eugenie chooses to stay out of their issues regarding one another, she believes both sides of her family should try to solve their problems. "Eugenie is still extremely close to Meghan, as is Jack, and they feel it was really unfair to grab the headlines that day," the source said. "Eugenie didn't approve of the decision to shun Meghan and Harry's anniversary — she feels that they have been incredible hard done-by."
Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie spent quarantine together
In 2019, Queen Elizabeth gifted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle the Frogmore Cottage residence in the United Kingdom. Though this was their royal residence, the two seemingly gave this property up following their royal exit. Since they were taking up residence in California, the two did not need to keep the Frogmore Cottage under their names. After successfully paying $3 million to British taxpayers for the renovations made to the house, Prince Harry gifted the property to his cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, in 2020. A source told The Sun that there's no longer a foreseeable future for Harry in the Frogmore Cottage. "Emptying their home and handing over the keys is a pretty strong sign Harry and Meghan have no plans to return," they told the publication. "It appears they are tying up loose ends as they plan to extend their stay in the U.S. perhaps permanently."
This didn't mean that Princess Eugenie wouldn't welcome her cousin to stay at the Frogmore Cottage whenever he was in the U.K. During his visit in 2021 — following the pandemic — The Sun reported that Harry followed safety protocols and quarantined at his cousin's residence for five days. With Eugenie being pregnant at the time, many were worried about her and her family's safety. According to sources, however, the manor is heavily divided — meaning that the two wouldn't have much contact with each other during his stay.
Princess Eugenie regularly visits Harry in California
While Prince Harry's royal exit didn't cause him to lose contact with his royal roots, it did result in him not being able to see his family as much as he may have liked. Despite this, it seems that the royal family hasn't made much of an effort to visit him and Meghan Markle in California. Given their ongoing issues, it is understandable why this may be the case. In 2022, we saw that Princess Eugenie was one of the few — if any — from the royal family to spend time with Harry in California. Aside from attending the Super Bowl, however, Eugenie actually visits Harry more often than we think.
Amongst the many revelations in Netflix's docu-series, "Harry & Meghan" — like the state of Meghan's mental health and Harry's stance toward his brother Prince William — it was revealed that Eugenie regularly visits Harry and his wife in California. In the Episode 6 of the series, Harry picked up Eugenie to spend time together while she was in town in 2021. From riding bikes together to running around on the beach with Archie, their relationship remains intact following his move to North America. Though we may never know if his family visits him as much as Eugenie does, she was the only royal family member to appear in the docu-series.
Prince Harry is reportedly helping Princess Eugenie look for a house in California
In 2021, royal experts reported that the Frogmore Cottage was empty, suggesting that Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank moved out shortly after Prince Harry gifted it to them. Despite this, many believed she was dividing her time between the Frogmore Cottage and Royal Lodge — where she grew up — for the holidays. Since the pandemic was still rampant in the United Kingdom, journalist Omid Scobie predicted that Eugenie and Jack would likely stay in the family home for the rest of 2021 (via Marie Claire).
With Princess Eugenie undergoing her second pregnancy, it seems like she's looking to make another drastic move. According to OK!, Eugenie and Jack are planning to move to the U.S., just like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (via Cosmopolitan). While this may seem like news to most, Prince Harry is apparently in on the plan and has been sending her information on houses in Montecito, California. However, Daily Mail reported in February 2023 that Eugenie plans to take up residence in the West Hollywood area instead. As for why this may be the case, Cosmopolitan stated that Jack's promotion at the firm, Discovery Land Company, may see him travel to Portugal and the U.S. frequently. Since she's familiar with the area, it seems that Eugenie thought that having a place in California would be beneficial, as it'd mean that she could see her cousin more often.
Princess Eugenie was the first to meet Prince Harry's wife
Given his royal status, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kept their ongoing romance under wraps after meeting in 2016. Although Harry eventually introduced Meghan to his enormous group of relatives, he wasn't sure how the royal family would take to the California-native actress. This ultimately led to Harry confiding in the one person he knew would have a positive response to his relationship. According to his memoir "Spare," Princess Eugenie was the first of the royal family to meet Meghan. Despite it becoming a torturous night for Meghan — vomiting from what he presumed to be food poisoning from calamari she ate — Eugenie met Meghan at a dinner party where the two immediately hit it off. With Harry comparing their first encounter to that of long-lost sisters, he stated, "If meeting the rest of my family goes like this, we're home free."
In her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan revealed that she actually knew Eugenie before she met Harry — making their encounter all the more positive. After expressing her comfort with Prince Harry's beloved cousin, the two built a strong friendship. According to Us Weekly, an insider revealed that, in addition to staying in touch with Harry, Eugenie maintained her relationship with Meghan as well. "Eugenie and Harry and Meghan have an unbreakable bond," they told the publication. "They're in regular communication and FaceTime at least once every couple of months with the children."
Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie enjoyed one last night out before his relationship with Meghan Markle went public
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kept their relationship private early on, it was only a matter of time before the news reached the public. In Netflix's docu-series "Harry & Meghan," Harry revealed that his communications secretary Jason Knauf told him that news of his ongoing romance was going public. Since their decision was final, Meghan suggested that they should make the best of the situation by going to a Halloween party in Toronto the night before their relationship goes public, stating, "Well, if it's going to come out tomorrow, let's go and have fun tonight!" Additionally, the two were accompanied by Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie have built a reputation of being regular partygoers in London. Though their antics as young adults seemingly slowed down over the years, Princess Eugenie didn't hesitate to tag along for a fun night out. When Meghan appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2021, Meghan revealed that the four snuck out to a Halloween party together. Despite their notoriety, Meghan told Ellen that their privacy wasn't an issue since they wore Halloween costumes that kept their identities hidden. "It was a post-apocalypse theme," Meghan stated. "So, we had this very bizarre costume on, and we were able to sort of have one final fun night out."
Princess Eugenie is reportedly still close to both Prince Harry and Prince William despite their falling out
In light of his decision to step down from his royal duties, Prince Harry notably severed his relationship with his family. One of which, in particular, appeared to be with his brother Prince William, who seemingly screamed at Harry once he learned about his royal exit. Though many of us assumed the two could work through their differences, their relationship appears to be at a standstill. In Oprah Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Harry revealed that although he still loves his brother, their relationship is very tense. "As I've said before, I love William to bits. He's my brother," he stated. "We've been to hell together. But we're on different paths (via Cosmopolitan)."
Given Princess Eugenie's relationship with her beloved cousin, she appears to remain impartial throughout the entirety of the royal family's dispute. With many insiders deeming her as the one who could bridge the gap between Prince Harry and the rest of the family, sources told Hollywood Life that Eugenie maintained her ties to the royal family. "Eugenie's still very close to William and Kate, she hasn't taken sides or any nonsense like that," they told the publication. "She loves them both and she's known for being diplomatic, so it's no surprise she's been able to keep a foot in both camps."