The heartbreaking reason Princess Eugenie will never become a duchess

Princess Eugenie will never be given the title duchess, despite being married because of a royal tradition.

• Most British princes are gifted dukedoms after marriage, but the same is not always the case for their female counterparts.
• Thanks to a royal tradition, Princess Eugenie will never become a duchess.
• This follows royal news that Eugenie thanked doctors who saved her father-in-law's life.

Why won't Princess Eugenie become a duchess?

Princess Eugenie married her husband, Jack Brooksbank, in October 2018, at St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

But unlike princes, she wasn't automically gifted the duchess title.

Dukedoms are given by the reigning monarch - this is how Prince Philip came to be the Duke of Edinburgh.

He was granted the dukedom by his father-in-law, King George VI, the night before his wedding to Queen Elizabeth.

When Eugenie, who was born Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York, got married, there was no precent for her to be named duchess because traditionally, only sons and grandsons of the monarch got them.

This means that a non royal who marries a prince will be given the duchess title - like Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, who became Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry.

The Queen could choose to make an exception in the case of Princess Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice.

But given that they are not full-time working royals, Her Majesty is likely to have decided against it.

This follows royal news that Eugenie took to Instagram to thank NHS staff at Brompton Hospital for saving her husband Jack Brooksbank’s father George’s life.

Eugenie’s father-in-law was on a ventilator for five weeks after contracting coronavirus but has now returned home.

Eugenie said, “I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone at the Brompton Hospital for what you’ve done in saying my father-in-law’s life.

"George came back home to us the other day so happy, and as the ‘miracle man’ as he called himself.”