It’s tough being a princess, say Fergie’s daughters
...and sometimes the cruelty of our critics has had us in tears, say Beatrice and Eugenie
looking confident and elegant, they are the picture of modern day princesses.
But sisters Beatrice and Eugenie have spoken out about the pressure that comes with being royal – while holding down high-flying jobs.
The Queen’s granddaughters have carved out successful careers for themselves – all the while juggling their public-facing roles and coping with the glare of the world’s media.
Eighth and ninth to the throne, they say they are the first working princesses of their kind.
But, in the pair’s first joint interview, they admit their path hasn’t been easy. ‘it’s hard to navigate situations like these because there is no precedent, there is no protocol,’ Princess Beatrice told Vogue.
‘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.’
Princess Eugenie added: ‘We want to show people who we are as working young royal women, but also not to be afraid of putting ourselves out there.’
Beatrice, 29, is vice president of partnerships and strategy for technology company Afiniti, while Eugenie, 28, is an associate director of art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
over the years the sisters have been criticised for their love of holidays, and mocked for their daring fashion sense.
The pair were ridiculed for the extravagant hats they wore to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011. Beatrice’s choice became known as the ‘pretzel hat’ – and following the fallout, its designer Philip Treacy joked he feared his head would end up on a spike.
The sisters admitted that the unflattering attention has reduced them to tears. Eugenie revealed one occasion before a Buckingham Palace garden party when her sister burst out crying. ‘There was a horrible article that had been written about Beatrice and she got really upset’, she explained.
‘We were just about to step out and she had a bit of a wobble and cried. i was looking after her.
‘And then about an hour later, i had a wobble and started crying and Bea was there for me.’
But they said that while the negativity upsets them, there was ‘no point being angry with anyone for beating us up – we just need to shine light and love in the world’.
Eugenie made her entrance into the art world after gaining a combined degree in English literature, history of art, and politics at newcastle University.
Beatrice, meanwhile, studied history and the history of ideas at goldsmiths, University of london. on her current employer’s website, her previous listed experience is as an associate at Sandbridge Capital, a small private equity firm, and also as a business development associate at Sony. The website adds that the princess began her career as a research analyst at a boutique private wealth firm. in the interview, Eugenie also revealed details of her upcoming wedding to Jack Brooksbank on october 12 – at which her sister will be maid-of-honour.
insisting that she hadn’t become a ‘ bridezilla’, Eugenie said her wedding would be plastic-free.
‘My whole house is anti-plastic now – and Jack and i want our wedding to be like that as well,’ she added.
She explained that she made the decision following her work with marine charity Project Zero.
But of the wedding, she added: ‘i’m not stressed at all. it’s nerveracking because you want it to be perfect, but then you realise that you’re going to be with the person you love forever and nothing else really matters.’
The couple are to marry at St george’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, the same venue that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose for their wedding. like their cous-
‘Shine light and love’ ‘Groundbreaking to have jobs’
ins, they will also be sharing their first public kiss on the chapel’s West Steps.
Beatrice added: ‘Euge is amazing... a very modern bride.’
in the interview, the sisters also revealed that one of the biggest fights they have had was over Converse trainers. ‘ We have the same size feet and both of us had identical pairs,’ Eugenie said. ‘one pair got trashed and the other sister may have swapped them.’
Their admission that their lives are ‘hard’ has prompted speculation online.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams tweeted: ‘They say they are groundbreaking in that they have jobs and are princesses. But they don’t carry out royal engagements and saying how tough it can be won’t get public sympathy, the interest is minimal.’
And one internet user wrote: ‘Spoilt kids with everything given to them on a plate and still they moan. Try living in the real world for once.’