EXCLUSIVE: Princess Eugenie Accused of Using Royal Baby Name to Pull At King Charles' 'Heartstrings' Amid Family Scandal
Princess Eugenie named her baby after the late queen.
Aug. 22 2026, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
Princess Eugenie's decision to name her newborn daughter Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank has been described as a seemingly touching gesture likely to tug at King Charles' heartstrings, as the baby's first middle name honors his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
As Radaronline.com readers will know, Eugenie, 36, recently welcomed her third child and first daughter with husband Jack Brooksbank, 40, at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, on August 3.
Royal Baby Name Honors Queen Elizabeth
Princess Eugenie named her daughter Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank.
Adelaide, who weighed 6 lb 9 oz and arrived at 6:20 pm, joins her brothers August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, five, and Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, three, and becomes the late queen's 15th great-grandchild.
A royal source said: "Elizabeth is a name carrying enormous emotional significance for the entire family, but inevitably it will touch Charles particularly deeply because this is another generation carrying his mother's name. Eugenie adored her grandmother, and this feels like a very personal way of keeping that connection alive.
"But critics are saying she is deploying the Elizabeth tribute in a deliberate ploy to tug at Charles' heartstrings as, due to the considerable turbulence around her wider family, particularly involving Eugenie's father, she is now fighting to secure her place in the royal family. A new baby provides a much happier focus, and using the child as a tribute to Elizabeth is seen by some cynics as a way Eugenie can curry favor with Charles."
'Named After Three People We Love and Admire'
Baby Adelaide joins older brothers August and Ernest in the family.
Announcing the name two weeks after Adelaide's birth, Eugenie shared photographs of her daughter on Instagram.
She said: "2 weeks ago today we welcomed our girl to the world. And since then we've had the most special, cosy and love-filled time."
Eugenie added: "We are so happy to share Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank."
Explaining the name choice, she said about her child's moniker: "Named after three people we love and admire, past and present, including her Great-Grandmother who we hold close in our hearts."
Historical Ties Behind Name Explained
The name Adelaide carries historic ties to English and Portuguese royalty.
The princess said Adelaide's name was also "part of English and Portuguese history, two places we love and call home."
Adelaide itself has royal significance through Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV.
Eugenie also wore a wheat-ear brooch originally commissioned for the 19th-century queen when she married Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2018.
The Portuguese connection reflects the couple's life between Portugal and Britain. Eugenie and Brooksbank met while skiing in Verbier, Switzerland, and married after several years together.
The princess announced her third pregnancy in May with a photograph showing her sons holding a baby scan.
Succession Shift Amid Ongoing Family Scandals
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Princess Eugenie works as a director at the Hauser and Wirth gallery.
Adelaide is 15th in line to the British throne, following her two brothers.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, consequently moves one place lower in the succession.
Her arrival comes during continuing controversy surrounding Eugenie's father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, who was stripped of his prince title and HRH style in 2025.
Eugenie has maintained an independent public profile through her work as a director at contemporary art gallery Hauser and Wirth and as co-founder of The Anti-Slavery Collective with Julia de Boinville.
Buckingham Palace formally announced Adelaide's arrival on August 4, confirming Charles, 77, Queen Camilla, 79, and other relatives had been informed.
The Palace said: "Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, born on Monday, 3rd August 2026, at 6:20 pm, at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal."
Eugenie's scandal-plagued dad, Andrew, was released "under investigation" earlier this year after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after allegedly sharing sensitive information with his predator friend Jeffrey Epstein during his role as a trade envoy for Britain, but he denies wrongdoing.
