Has Princess Eugenie actually read the Great Gatsby?

Today marks the marriage of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank. Although the BBC didn’t jump at the chance to air the royal nuptials, ITV happily took up the offer. The broadcaster was rewarded with a star celebrity turnout – from Kate Moss to Robbie Williams. However, the part that caught Mr S’s attention relates to the readings.

The young royal selected an extract from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby for her sister Princess Beatrice to read. In it, the book’s narrator Nick describes the protagonist Jay Gatsby’s smile. Eugenie selected it on the grounds that it ‘immediately reminded’ her of her now-husband Jack:

But Mr S can’t help but wonder if Princess Eugenie is that familiar with the novel. After all, Gatsby doesn’t come across as ideal marriage material – in fact he’s a conman who made his fortune through suspected criminal activity.

Perhaps life does imitate art – Gatsby famously never read any of the books in his library.