Princess Eugenie gave birth to her third child, a daughter, in Lisbon on August 3. The baby weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces. She is 15th in line to the British throne. She does not yet have a name. Sarah Ferguson, Eugenie’s mother and Andrew’s former wife, flew to Lisbon to support her daughter in the days following the birth. Andrew, the baby’s paternal grandfather, is described by GB News as unlikely to meet his new grandchild, which is a sentence that requires explaining why the grandfather of a baby born 10 days ago has not seen her and may not see her soon.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has been under police investigation since February 19, 2026, when Metropolitan Police officers arrived at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, where he has been residing since his eviction from Royal Lodge following a standoff with King Charles over the property. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his connections with the late Jeffrey Epstein, and released under investigation the same evening. He denied any wrongdoing. The investigation is ongoing. The nature of an ongoing police investigation imposes practical constraints on the investigated person’s freedom of movement that vary depending on the specific bail or release conditions, the requirements of any continuing interview obligations, and the practical reality that international travel by a person under investigation can complicate the investigation in ways that investigators prefer to avoid.
Whether Andrew is subject to formal travel restrictions as a condition of his release under investigation has not been publicly confirmed. The description of him as “unlikely” to meet the baby rather than “unable” to meet her suggests the constraint is practical or circumstantial rather than formal and legal, but the distinction may be less significant than it appears from outside the situation. A person under police investigation for misconduct in public office who was a close associate of Jeffrey Epstein in American jurisdictions that have ongoing civil proceedings related to Epstein’s network is a person for whom international travel to Portugal produces complications that are predictable and probably unwelcome.
The baby’s birth in Lisbon reflects the Brooksbank family’s arrangement of splitting time between the UK and Portugal, where Jack Brooksbank works in sales and marketing for a luxury golf development called CostaTerra. Eugenie and Jack maintain a home in Portugal alongside their primary UK residence. The choice to give birth in Lisbon rather than in the UK is consistent with their existing schedule and does not require a specific explanation beyond that their lives are organized around Portugal to a significant degree. It does produce the situation where the grandfather who lives at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk is separated from his newest grandchild by a national boundary and a set of circumstances that make crossing it more complicated than geography alone would suggest.
The relationship between Andrew and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie has been described by royal commentators as difficult since his February arrest. Both daughters were reportedly “bitterly disappointed” to be told they were not welcome at Royal Ascot in June, having kept a low profile since their father’s arrest. Eugenie’s birth announcement did not mention Andrew. The Palace’s statement described “Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of The Royal Family” being delighted by the news, which is the formulation that includes everyone without specifically naming the one person whose name would produce its own news cycle.
The baby’s other grandfather is Jack Brooksbank’s father Nicola Brooksbank, who is not the subject of a police investigation and does not face the same complications attending the birth. The baby has a maternal grandmother in Sarah Ferguson, who is in Lisbon. She has a paternal grandfather in Andrew, who is at Wood Farm. She has a name that her parents have not yet chosen. She is 11 days old.
The investigation continues. The baby is in Lisbon. Andrew is at Sandringham.
When a grandfather is described as unlikely to meet his new granddaughter because of an ongoing police investigation, and the investigation involves a man who is dead and a network that continues to produce legal proceedings across multiple jurisdictions, what exactly is the investigation still looking for?
Sources
GB News: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor unlikely to meet new grandchild
