Here's my most underrated royal
And it's not Princess Anne
Hi everyone,
It's Ainhoa here. In Emily's newsletter about The Princess Royal last week, we asked you whether you thought Anne was the most underrated member of The Firm. A staggering 97 per cent of you said "Yes".
And while I do agree, I wanted to shine a light on another member of the royal family who sometimes goes unnoticed… Princess Eugenie.
Eugenie has been a quiet and constant presence at royal events since she was a little girl. As the younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, she was born sixth in line to the throne – now relegated to 12th. And there's no hiding that Eugenie is not part of King Charles' slimmed-down monarchy.
She is not technically a working royal but that doesn't mean Eugenie isn't occasionally called upon to support the family at events like garden parties at Buckingham Palace. Like many of the King's wider family, she used to appear on the palace balcony at Trooping the Colour during her late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's reign, but she now watches the festivities from the palace rooftop with other non-working members – a clear statement of where her place is in the family.
Nevertheless, Eugenie has maintained that sense of duty and social responsibility that has been instilled in her since her royal birth. She may not carry out official engagements on behalf of her charities and patronages, Ã la the Princess of Wales, but she does go about performing her own duties in her personal time for causes close to her heart. And that can't be easy as a busy mother-of-two who works as a director at an art gallery too.
Philanthropy is in Eugenie's blood, thanks to the leading example of her late grandmother but also her own mother Sarah, who introduced Eugenie to charities like Teenage Cancer Trust from a very young age. And while the Princess doesn't have a team of reporters or photographers documenting her every outing, she has chosen to use her elevated public profile for good.
Her Instagram account boasts 1.8 million followers and is peppered with photos and videos from her charitable ventures. Yes, she may not quite make as many headlines as her cousin-in-law Princess Catherine, but Eugenie still makes the effort to promote charity causes by posting frequently, even if she does have the same relatable worry about trolls. "Before I post, I text about five people to ask if it's okay, am I going to get trolled?" Eugenie once admitted during a candid chat on Kate Thornton's podcast.
The pinnacle of her charity work is probably her own organisation The Anti-Slavery Collective, which she co-founded with her school best friend, Julia de Boinville, when they were in their twenties. The human rights organisation was born during the duo's trip to India and fights modern day slavery and human trafficking.
Unsurprisingly Eugenie chooses to support charities that hold a special meaning or connection to her. She is perhaps one of the few royals who speaks openly and in depth about her health issues in the hope of raising awareness and showing solidarity with others.
She is patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where she had surgery aged 12 for scoliosis (curvature of the spine). And on her wedding day in 2018, Eugenie proudly showed off the scar on her back in her choice of wedding dress. "It's a lovely way to honour the people who looked after me and a way of standing up for young people who also go through this," she said of her decision. "I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that."
Apart from children, youth, and health, Eugenie is also passionate about marine conservation and sustainability. She regularly advocates for reducing plastic waste and protecting oceans, on a daily basis but also in her role as an ambassador for the Blue Marine Foundation.
And it's a love that she's passed on to her young sons August, four, and Ernie, two. "They love swimming," Eugenie has previously told HELLO! "Augie is a fish. He literally loves it. We've got a book called The World's Wildest Waters, which is backed by Blue Marine Foundation – I see it every morning when Augie's eating breakfast, and he's like, 'Mama!' and then we go through it."
I'd love to hear what you think. Do you agree that Eugenie is a quiet but constant example of an underrated royal?
Vote in the poll below and don't forget to leave a comment too.
Further reading
Princess Anne’s timeless summer style
Definitely should be in the important Royalty,as she was born to be. Her and her sister both,always busy with public affairs and should be recognised as such .