Cara Delevingne, center, arrives ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St Georgeâs Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London, England, Friday Oct. 12, 2018. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)
The Associated Press
WINDSOR, England (AP) - Crowds are gathering outside Windsor Castle ahead of Britain's second royal wedding of the year Friday with Princess Eugenie set to wed a tequila brand executive in a gala ceremony.
Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are to marry at St. George's Chapel, which is part of the castle complex, on a gusty day that required early arrivals to hold onto their elegant hats as they crossed the manicured grounds.
The nuptials have drawn most senior members of the royal family, including Eugenie's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who will host a champagne luncheon for the newlyweds shortly after the ceremony.
The couple will marry in the same venue used in May by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who is now known as the Duchess of Sussex. The royal standard was flying atop the complex Friday, indicating that the queen was in residence.
Harry and Meghan are attending, along with Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Their 5-year-old son, Prince George, will be a page boy, and Princess Charlotte, 3, will be one of six bridesmaids.
Eugenie, 28, is ninth in line to the British throne. She works in the art world. Her sister, Princess Beatrice, will be maid of honor. They are the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who are divorced but enjoy an amicable relationship.
Eugenie and Brooksbank, 32, have dated for many years. He proposed to her in January during a trip to the Central American country of Nicaragua, choosing a romantic spot next to a lake and a volcano.
Eugenie told ITV, which will broadcast the hour-long service in Britain, that she was both excited and a bit on edge.
"It's nerve-wracking and a bit scary and all the things that come with getting married, but at the end of the day you get to marry the person you love," she said.
The couple has invited 1,200 members of the public to come onto the castle grounds for a closer glimpse of proceedings. They also plan to take a carriage ride through parts of Windsor just after the ceremony.
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Katz reported from London.
Robbie Williams, center, and Ayda Field, right, arrive ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St Georgeâs Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London, England, Friday Oct. 12, 2018. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)
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Cara Delevingne arrives ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St Georgeâs Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London, England, Friday Oct. 12, 2018. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)
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Guests arrive to attend the wedding of Britain's Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, near London, Friday Oct. 12, 2018. (Adrian Dennis/Pool via AP)
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Wedding guests take their seats as they arrive for the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank in St Georgeâs Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London, England, Friday Oct. 12, 2018. (Danny Lawson/Pool via AP)
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Model Naomi Campbell, left, arrives for the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St Georgeâs Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London, England, Friday Oct. 12, 2018. (Matt Crossick, Pool via AP)
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Elliott Spencer, left, and Stephen Fry arrive ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St Georgeâs Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London, England, Friday Oct. 12, 2018. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)
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A Princess Eugenie mask is displayed for sale in the window of a souvenir shop ahead of the wedding of Britain's Princess Eugenie in Windsor, England, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The 28-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II is due to marry liquor company executive Jack Brooksbank on Friday in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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A worker mows the grass outside Windsor Castle ahead of the wedding of Britain's Princess Eugenie in Windsor, England, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The 28-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II is due to marry liquor company executive Jack Brooksbank on Friday in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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A police team check and seal a drain cover outside Windsor Castle ahead of the wedding of Britain's Princess Eugenie in Windsor, England, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The 28-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II is due to marry liquor company executive Jack Brooksbank on Friday in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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The Rt Revd David Conner, Dean of Windsor, on Thursday Oct. 11, 2018, who will conduct the wedding of Britain's Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on Friday. (Steve Parsons/Pool via AP)
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