Introduction (23 March 2020)
On the day I post this, HRH Princess Eugenie turns 30. This article is intended as a birthday tribute to a remarkable young lady - a celebration of all the amazing things she has achieved in her first 30 years.
At the same time, as I write this, the world is in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic, and we all need some distraction and positivity. So hopefully reading about Princess Eugenie can provide that, and maybe her positivity as a person and her values can inspire as at this tough time! Happy Birthday, Your Royal Highness!
Birth and early years
HRH Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York was born on 23 March 1990, the second daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, coming to the world 21 months after big sister Beatrice. According to her mother's autobiography, she was delivered by caesarian section, after having turned around in the womb. Her father, the Duke, had been away at sea with the Navy and only just arrived for Eugenie's birth.
She was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham on 23 December 1990. Her godparents were James Ogilvy, Captain Alastair Ross, the Duchess's stepmother Sue Ferguson, and Julia Dodd-Noble, and Louise Blacker, two close friends of the Duchess since her schooldays.
Her Royal Highness enjoyed a happy childhood at the family home, Sunninghill Park, Ascot, where she and her sister enjoyed the outdoor life on the estate with their pet dogs and ponies. Although her parents divorced when she was only 6, they maintained a close relationship, minimising the disruption to the girls. In a Tatler interview to mark her 18th birthday, Eugenie said: "They are the best divorced couple I know. I don't remember much of [the divorce] happening. They just always went out of their way to make us feel loved and secure."
The sisters often went on family holidays with one or both parents - the traditional Royal summer at Balmoral, trips to the sun in the South of France, or ski trips to Klosters and Verbier. They enjoyed spending time with their grandparents, and a sweet video from 1992 shows HM the Queen with little Eugenie as she rides her pony! In the Tatler interview, the Princess says of her grandmother: "She's one of the most amazing women ever. She is also very funny. You can tell when she is happy, having all her family round at Christmas and watching them all laugh and having so much fun on Christmas Day. It just makes her very happy."
Princess Eugenie began her schooling at Winkfield Montessori from 1992 to 1993. From there she joined her sister at Upton House School in Windsor until 1995. She attended Coworth Park School from 1995 to 2001, and then St George's, near Windsor Castle, until 2003.
Scoliosis
At the age of 12, Eugenie went through one of the toughest moments of her life - when she was diagnosed with scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and had to go through a grueling operation to correct it. In her Tatler interview, she told the story of what happened...
"This man massaged my back and said, 'Do you know you've got a deformed back?' I went to see a specialist and was told I had half a vertebra missing." Without surgery, her neck would have ended up at an increasingly acute angle. "What was meant to be a one-hour operation took eight. But it worked. They put in two metal rods and eight one-inch screws."
"I remember it so well because it was on my mother's birthday. It was terrifying - but, actually, it was more scary when they told me I needed to have it done in the first place. When the day came, they woke me at six in the morning for the operation and I was so tired I think I told them to go away and come back later. And then I woke up and it had all been done."
The support of her mother, the Duchess of York, was vital in getting her through this ordeal, explained the Princess: "I used to ring her and she would come in in her slippers and dressing-gown and help me with whatever I needed. It was a huge comfort."
Her manners came to the fore even then. As she woke from the eight-hour operation she was anxious to thank the nurses. "I think this is one time when you do not have to think about politeness," said the Duchess as her daughter was wheeled into intensive care for three days. That was followed by a week in a normal ward and six days in a wheelchair. Then, finally, she was walking again. "I just feel lucky that it all went well," she said.
It is often said that how we react to a tough experience in life reveals a lot about our character, and this was certainly the case for Princess Eugenie. From her scoliosis and her gruelling operation, she took so much positivity throughout her life. By talking about her experience, she became a positive role model for other young people going through the same thing - just as her sister Beatrice had done when, as a teenager, she spoke publicly about her dyslexia.
As an adult, Eugenie used her Royal profile to support scoliosis sufferers and raise funds for equipment and treatment. Then, at her Royal Wedding to Jack Brooksbank, she memorably wore a backless dress, in order to show the world the scar from her operation. It was an amazing gesture of positivity and hope, a statement that having a scar - of any kind, physical or mental - doesn't have to stop you being beautiful or happy. The hundreds of letters she received from scoliosis sufferers after the wedding showed how inspiring and meaningful that gesture was!
Marlborough
A year after the scoliosis operation, at 13, Her Royal Highness finished her studies at St. George's Prep School, and prepared for the next phase of her education - at a senior independent school. Her sister Princess Beatrice had chosen to continue at St. George's senior school, just down the road from home. However, Eugenie, in consultation with her parents, had made a different and more adventurous decision.
Her choice of "public school" (in the UK sense of the word - a traditional fee-paying boarding school for the children of the elite classes) was much further away - Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she would have to be a full boarder, heading back to see her parents at Royal Lodge only for holidays and the odd weekend. It was to be a new adventure for the young Princess.
Marlborough is a highly prestigious public school with a proud tradition, with annual fees at this time (in 2003) costing around £23,000. Notable former pupils include Victorian artist William Morris, poet-laureate John Betjeman, war poet Siegfried Sassoon and of course Eugenie's future cousin-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge. Here, the Princess would achieve a unique first in her family, becoming the first Royal to board at a co-educational school.
For her A-Levels (UK university entrance exams, taken at 18), HRH studied Art, History of Art and English. It's interesting to note that even as a teenager, this future Gallery Director was absolutely passionate about art! In fact, it was during her time at Marlborough that Eugenie discovered the artist who became a lifelong artistic inspiration and reference point for her. In a 2016 Harper's Bazaar interview, she said: "A seminal moment for me, at age 16, was when I saw a Jean-Michel Basquiat show in New York. Basquiat is my hero. I did a study on him at school, and learned to paint like him. I'd never done anything like that!"
The Tatler 18th birthday interview gives us a fascinating insight into how Eugenie was as a teenager. As well as art, she had a great appreciation for literature. She cited Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" as her favourite novel, and was President of Marlborough's Poetry Society. In this role, she invited poets such as Carol Ann Duffy to be guest speakers. As President, it was her responsibility to welcome these special guests to the school and introduce them to her fellow students with an introductory speech. This must have been excellent preparation for the public events and patronages that would come with her life as a Royal.
The interview also reveals HRH's teenage music tastes (indie artists like Death Cab for Cutie, Stereophonics and Jamie T), and tells us that she had a silver bracelet from her mother engraved with the words "I'm with you always. Love you". I would imagine that any child at boarding school would have occasional lonely moments, missing their parents, and this beautiful gift from the Duchess must have made those moments easier to bear!
Princess Eugenie studied with great dedication, finishing her time at Marlborough with some extremely impressive A-Level results! She gained an amazing AAB, with maximum A grades in Art and English Literature, and a B in History of Art. These were the best results ever achieved by a member of the Royal Family at A-Level, just beating by one grade the previous record-holder... her sister Beatrice! The elder York girl had achieved an A in Drama and Bs in History and Film Studies! In fact, could be argued that Beatrice's results were the more impressive, considering her severe dyslexia - either way, there's no doubting the brains and hard work of the York Princesses, who even as teenagers were setting a great example to their peers!
HRH left Marlborough in 2008, but 10 years later she would made a triumphant return to her old school, when she was invited back to officially open the newly refurbished Memorial Hall. She posted on Instagram, "Such a lovely day going to see my old school, Marlborough College and opening the newly refurbished Memorial Hall, built to honour the 749 former pupils that lost their lives on the battlefield in WWI. So many happy memories visiting my old art school and house". She unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion, and staff and pupils were delighted to meet such a famous and inspiring Old Marlburian...
Gap Year
Before starting university, Eugenie took a gap year to travel, just as her sister had done. Her travels took her to India, the USA, Thailand, Cambodia and South Africa. New places and new horizons - it must have been a wonderful, liberating experience after the constraints of boarding school!
Unfortunately, it wasn't all positive. While traveling in Cambodia, Eugenie experienced a terrifying incident in Phnom Penh, when she and her two friends were almost mugged. A man grabbed one of their bags, before Eugenie's Royal Protection Officers sprang into action to disable the assailant. Incredibly, the tabloid newspapers complained of the £100,000 cost of her security during this year, despite the fact that this incident so clearly demonstrated exactly why it had been so necessary to give her adequate protection!
It is said that travel broadens our mind and opens us up to new cultures and new ways of life, and I have no doubt that Eugenie's gap year experience would have helped her grow and mature in so many ways, as well as affording her a well-deserved break after working so hard for her A-Levels.
Newcastle University
People who know both York sisters have often commented that Eugenie is the more confident and extroverted of the two. I don't say that to favour one over the other (I admire and respect both of them equally), but just to comment on the different personalities of the two. This may explain not only Eugenie's decision to go to a boarding school further from the family home, but also her choice of university. While Beatrice opted for Goldsmith's College in London, a short distance from the family home (now Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park), Eugenie again followed her independent spirit.
This time, it took her to the other end of England, to Newcastle University, where she studied a combined degree in Art History, English Literature and Politics. Once more, her love of art and literature was paramount for this highly cultured and intelligent Princess.
Newcastle is one of the UK's top universities, ranked among the 150 best institutions in the world. Choosing Newcastle also meant that Eugenie was the first Royal to study in one of the major Northern cities. Only around 25% of the student population is privately educated, meaning that many of her classmates must have come from far humbler backgrounds than her own. No doubt this would have been a positive experience for the young Princess, helping her to develop an empathy and understanding for the lives of ordinary people.
For her first year, Eugenie stayed at Castle Leazes Hall of Residence, and then moved into a student house with seven of her friends. She later told the Newcastle Chronicle how much fun she had had there: "Everything up here is amazing. Being up in Newcastle is just amazing. I had so much fun!" She left Newcastle in 2012, taking with her an excellent 2:1 degree, and just as importantly, some wonderful memories!
Nightrider
In June 2012, just after finishing university, Princess Eugenie took to her bike for charity, completing the gruelling 64-mile all-night "Nightrider" challenge.
In doing so, she raised an incredible £9,000, which was shared between two charities. One was a very personal cause - her patronage, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where she was treated for scoliosis. The other cause was to build a cricket stadium in Rwanda - a cause chosen by a friend of the York sisters who rode with Eugenie's group of friends that day - a then-unknown young man called Edo Mapelli Mozzi! As we all know, 7 years later, Edo became very familiar to Royal fans, when he and Princess Beatrice announced their engagement. In the picture below, you can see him just behind Eugenie. (Thanks to my twitter friend Cari for finding this picture!).
A career in the art world
When it came to a career, there was really only one choice for Eugenie in terms of the field she wanted to be involved in. As she told Harper's Bazaar in 2016, "I've loved art since I was very little. I knew I definitely wouldn't be a painter [laughs], but I knew this was the industry for me. I love being able to share my passion for art with people".
Her dream career in art started off with internships at Christie's auction house and at the Royal Collection in Buckingham Palace. While working at her grandmother's residence, she won praise from other staff for the humble and down-to-earth way she queued up in the cantine, just like an ordinary person.
A source quoted in the Daily Express said, "You don’t expect to see a member of the Royal Family sitting down at lunchtime having queued up with hundreds of others but Eugenie is doing just that. She’s very friendly and approachable and people at the Royal Collection say she knows her subject well.”
In October 2013, HRH achieved her first full time job at auction house Paddle8 in New York. Although a new and exciting challenge, the new position brought difficulties in her private life, forcing a long distance relationship with new boyfriend Jack Brooksbank (see below). The couple were unable to see each other as much as they would have liked, but they both tried to take a transatlantic flight to see the other whenever possible.
It was during her time with Paddle8 in New York that the art-obsessed Princess struck up a friendship with one of the UK's most famous and successful modern artists - Tracey Emin. Eugenie interviewed Tracey in Harper's Bazaar in 2014, and the article explained how their friendship came about: "they found themselves, two expats living in the Big Apple, mixing in the same circles, going to the same dinners, drawn to each other in that heady world where art and celebrity overlap, and 'always getting on like a house on fire'." This must have been an incredible experience for Eugenie, who had been a huge fan of the artist ever since receiving an original Emin drawing as a 21st birthday present from her mother, the Duchess of York. According to the article, "Emin had been heartened to learn the Princess was an admirer and the seed of friendship was sown".
Imagine how exciting this must have been for Eugenie - working in her dream industry, living in the Big Apple, hanging out with top artist friends like Tracey Emin! The only thing missing was Jack, but of course that was a huge miss!
In her conversation with Emin, the Princess explained what she loved about her job. In answer to the question of why she didn't chose to be an artist herself, she said, "Doing art at Marlborough, where I went to school, was really quite tough, and I knew that it wasn't the direction I wanted to go. I'd rather show art and give people the joy of seeing it". She continued: "Helping someone build up their collection is just so exciting. I know that when I'm building mine up, it's so much fun to see all the little bits you've got".
HRH was also asked what piece of art she would most like to own. Not surprisingly, she chose a piece by her all-time favourite artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat: "If I could buy anything, it would definitely be Basquiat's 'Irony of the Negro Policeman'." In fact, the work (below) was sold by auction in 2012 for more than £8m - too high a price tag even for a Princess, I'd imagine!
Whilst New York must have been exciting, there's no doubt that Eugenie would have missed Jack terribly. Fortunately, in June 2015, she secured a job that would enable her to move back to London on a permanent basis. What's more, it was a huge opportunity in her career - joining top gallery Hauser & Wirth as an Associate Director.
In another interview with Harper's Bazaar, she gave a fascinating insight into the specific responsibilities of her job: "I work with colleagues in London as well as our galleries in L.A., New York, Somerset in the U.K., and Zurich. Part of my job is planning special projects, supporting the artists in the gallery and managing events. We work with many artists and estates around the world, including Mike Kelley, Philip Guston, and, most recently, Lygia Pape".
The full interview gives a wonderfully full picture of Eugenie's life at this time (including a typical daily schedule) and is well worth reading: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a16956/princess-eugenie-of-york-interview/
Next, after only 2 years at the gallery, at the tender age of 27, Her Royal Highness was promoted to Gallery Director, a meteoric rise to the top of her profession which is testament to her extraordinary drive, talent and hard work, as well as her passion for art.
Jack
Eugenie first met her future husband Jack Brooksbank on a skiing trip in Verbier in 2010, when she was 20 and Jack was 24. The Swiss resort is very popular with the British upper classes, and the Yorks have a chalet there. Just before their wedding, the Duke of York posted the photo below, which was taken on this holiday where they first got to know each other. "We were skiing which was amazing. Love at first sight," said Jack later.
In one of their first major appearances together, they appeared at Royal Ascot in 2011 (see picture above).
Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank was born on 3 May 1986. He comes from a noble family, related to the Brooksbank baronetcy and also to the Earls of Leicester. The Brooksbanks can trace Royal descent from both Edward III and James II. He and Princess Eugenie are third cousins twice removed, both being descended from the second Earl of Leicester.
Jack attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, one of England's most prestigious public schools, whose alumni include York family friend Sir Richard Branson, Prince Rainier of Monaco, and Charles Manners, Marquis of Granby and heir to the Duke of Rutland.
After leaving Stowe, Jack briefly studied at Bristol University, before deciding it wasn't for him and going into the hospitality industry. At the time the couple first got to know each other, he was managing Mahiki, one of the most popular bars for London's wealthy young elite, whose patrons included Eugenie's cousins Princes William and Harry.
As mentioned above, the toughest time for their relationship was when Eugenie was working in New York from the end of 2013 to mid-2015. But they were in love, and it would take more than the Atlantic Ocean to separate them!
Jack proposed while they were on vacation near a lake in Nicaragua; she said it was a complete surprise and brought her to happy tears. It was a "perfect moment," she told reporters. "I was over the moon, crying."
Her engagement ring is absolutely stunning and features a coral-coloured padparadscha sapphire, surrounded by diamonds. Jack came up with the initial concept himself, based on Eugenie's mother the Duchess' own ring, which featured a ruby surrounded by a halo of 10 diamonds.
Royal Wedding
12 October 2018 was Eugenie and Jack's big day - a stunning, emotional fairy tale occasion. The bride looked stunning in her Peter Pilotto wedding dress, her head crowned by the Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, on loan from HM the Queen. Later, after a moving ceremony, she and her new husband Jack paraded through the streets in the historic Scottish Stage Coach, waving to their adoring public.
There was a special significance to the design of the dress. A shallow v-neck curved round to expose the back, deliberately revealing HRH's scar from her childhood scoliosis operation, which as we have seen, formed such an important reference point in her life.
In the weeks following the wedding, she would receive hundreds of letters from people who had suffered the same condition, thanking Eugenie for her bravery and solidarity.
The wedding was a wonderful occasion, in which the nation and the world celebrated the love of this beautiful couple. I won't go into too much detail in the article, since I have already fully covered the wedding in s previous post. If you'd like to read it, it's here: https://francineblaise.wixsite.com/duchessofyorkblog/post/eugenie-jack-looking-back-at-the-wedding
Charity work
Like her parents and her sister, Princess Eugenie has always had a strong commitment to charity work, and has worked really hard over the years for the benefit of humanity.
One of the causes closest to her heart, for very personal reasons, is to help others going through scoliosis, just as she did. HRH became Patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital’s Redevelopment Appeal in April, 2012. As part of the appeal, an accommodation unit at the hospital was named Princess Eugenie House.
Another incredibly important cause for Eugenie is that of fighting modern slavery. In 2017, with her friend Julia de Boinville (pictured with Eugenie below), she launched The Anti-Slavery Collective. Julia was one of Eugenie's best friends at Marlborough, and later they both attended Newcastle university together, continuing their close friendship. In 2012, they went on a trip together to Kolkata, India, where they visited an organisation called Women’s Interlink Foundation. This was when they first became aware of modern slavery, and were determined to help. Aloka Mitra , the founder of Women’s Interlink, rescues girls from modern slavery, gives them a home and teaches them a simple vocational skill – fabric printing.
On the Anti-Slavery Collective website, Eugenie and Julia explain what steps they took next: "We spent the next 5 years educating ourselves. We became obsessive investigators and would visit anyone who could help us expand our knowledge; from policy makers, law enforcement agencies and academics, to NGOs, social workers and survivors. We asked everyone we encountered, ‘what can two young girls like us do to help?’ Without fail, the answer was always raise awareness. So this became our mission". It is a mission that both young ladies feel passionate about, and they are now working so hard to help!
Among other anti-slavery work, she joined a UN Mission to Serbia with the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women in September 2017. She also laid a wreath at Westminster Abbey in London during a service to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce and mark the United Kingdom’s commitment to combat modern slavery. With the rest of the York family, she helped create The Key to Freedom, which works with the Women’s Interlink Foundation to sell products in Topshop, the Royal Collection and most recently she launched the ‘Eugenie’ scarf in Hobbs to mark her wedding. Below she is pictured with sister Beatrice at a UN conference against human trafficking...
The Princess' many charity patronages include the Teenage Cancer Trust (with her mother and sister), the Coronet Theatre in Kensington, the European School of Osteopathy, Charity:water (which provides clean, safe drinking water to people in developing countries), Tate Young Patrons, Big Cat Sanctuary (protecting Big Cats from extinction) and Horatio’s Garden, a charity that creates beautiful accessible gardens in NHS spinal injury centres.
Role model
It's very important to emphasize that all these patronages and projects are carried out in her own free time, since HRH is also working in a full time job as Hauser & Wurth Gallery Director. Like her sister and her parents, she works incredibly hard and is filled with a passion for helping others. This is why she is such a powerful role model for all the many people who look up to her!
Just like her sister Beatrice, she has managed to successfully combine the challenges and responsibilities of her Royal status with a highly successful career in the world of art that she loves so much. When Eugenie and Beatrice were interviewed by Vogue magazine in 2018, the two Princesses emphasised the extent to which they are both bravely exploring new territory in the Royal Family: "We are the first: we are young women trying to build careers and have personal lives, and we’re also princesses and doing all of this in the public eye".
In 2020, Eugenie celebrated International Women's Day by posting on Instagram about the women who have inspired her. Her choices revealed a lot about the kind of person she is, and about her values in life.
Her first choice was Aloka Mitra, founder of the Women’s Interlink Foundation, who inspired her to get involved in the fight against modern slavery. Her choice here shows Eugenie as someone who is passionate about making a difference and helping others.
Her second choice was Mags McHugh, the nurse who looked after her when she had her scoliosis operation at age 12. I think it says a lot about Eugenie that not only did she remember Mags' name, but even apparently stayed in touch (or got back in touch) with her. It shows how much she appreciates the efforts of medical professionals and on a personal level is grateful and appreciative to those who have treated her with kindness.
The next two choices are other inspiring personalities that HRH has got to know through her charity work. Dr. Olivia Chapple is the founder of another of Eugenie's patronages - Horatio's Garden. Dr. Chapple decided to create gardens in spinal units, in honour of her son, Horatio, who tragically died. And Ruth Powys started "Elephant Family". Eugenie describes her as "a force of nature" and says she wants to save these "beautiful creatures alongside her".
At this point, Eugenie's selections of inspiring female role models move in a more personal direction, as she turns to the three most important women who have inspired her within her own family: her sister Princess Beatrice, her mother the Duchess of York, and her grandmother HM the Queen. Her sister has "always been there for me". Her mother has been "a constant inspiration" who has "taught me so much of what it feels to be empowered as a woman". Her grandmother and monarch has "dedicated her life to so many others" and "has taught me so much by her wonderful example".
Personally, I found all of these testimonials hugely moving and inspiring. Those who work in healthcare deserve our highest respect - especially during the current coronavirus crisis - they are truly heroes! So the choice of a nurse is perfect, especially someone with such a personal connection to the Princess. And the charity workers she chose are all making an amazing, positive difference, spreading kindness, compassion and generosity of spirit.
As for the family members she chose... Well, anyone who knows me from Twitter or has read this blog knows the special love and admiration I have for Sarah, Duchess of York, who has been a guiding light to me through many years. And Princess Beatrice, too - a really special young lady who followed in the best traditions and values of her family. And then Her Majesty - an extraordinary woman, a constant presence through the storms of our lives, of whom I'm proud to be a loyal subject.
Yes, Princess Eugenie has chosen her role models well, and she deserves to be on that list with them. She too is a role model. She is a talented, intelligent, hard-working lady with a passion for helping others, and for fighting injustice. She is a modern Princess and career girl, who loves her family and her husband, and lives life with exemplary moral values - responsibility, duty, kindness, compassion and positivity.
That brave young girl who went through that gruelling operation without a word of complaint became a strong young woman with the courage to stand up for what she believes. A young woman who inspires positive change, who has a passion for creativity, who believes strongly in the empowerment of women.
So let me end by expressing my gratitude to Princess Eugenie - thank you, Your Royal Highness, for everything you do - for all your hard work, your passion, your leadership, and for being such an incredible role model, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday !
