Princess Eugenie, 35, opens up about balancing toddlers Ernest and August, work, charity, and royal life in rare interview: 'They might actually sit still for a few minutes'

Sky News AU

19-05-2025

Princess Eugenie has opened up about the realities of managing a full plate, balancing work, motherhood, charity commitments, and being a member of the British Royal Family, in a rare and candid interview.
The 35-year-old royal, who shares sons August, four, and Ernest, one, with husband Jack Brooksbank, recently stepped out for a Horatio's Garden charity event at Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire.
While Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice, 36, are not considered official working royals, she's a consistent presence on the charity circuit, this time stepping away from her day job to lend support in person.
"I think I've got a good balance," Eugenie told The Telegraph.
"I've got an amazing husband and team and projects I'm passionate about. I'd feel uneasy if I wasn't doing my charity work, looking after my family and doing my job. I love what I do."
Eugenie and Jack, a marketing executive for Discovery Land Company, met as teenagers in Verbier, Switzerland, and have been together for over a decade.
Jack now divides his time between London and Portugal as part of his work on the exclusive CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club, meaning the young family are frequently on the move.
Despite the travel, Eugenie has carved out her own impressive career.
She's been an associate director at leading global art gallery Hauser & Wirth for more than ten years.
"I wanted to be an artist- I wasn't very good at that - so now I like communicating about art," she said.
Now, weekends are for painting with her boys.
"It's a focused activity; they might actually sit still for a few minutes," she laughed.
Eugenie says her ideal week is one spent entirely at home.
"I get home from work and put the boys in the bath and don't have to go anywhere else. It's so relaxing,' she said.
At the moment, she admitted she and Jack are curled up in their pyjamas by 7pm, binge-watching The White Lotus.
In addition to her job and young family, Eugenie continues to support a number of charitable causes, a drive she says was instilled by her mother, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
Alongside her role as patron of Horatio's Garden since 2019, Eugenie also supports the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and the Teenage Cancer Trust, which she shares with Beatrice.
She is also the co-founder of The Anti-Slavery Collective, which she launched in 2012 to combat modern slavery.
At the charity's first-ever Force for Freedom Gala earlier this year, Eugenie helped raise £1 million (around AUD$2 million).
"My mum always taught me that giving back to others is the most important thing in life," she said.
"Bea and I feel very strongly about this. My grandmother (the late Queen Elizabeth II)'s sense of duty was also instilled from a young age; we watched my parents, my granny and other family members working very hard."
Although the York sisters have traditionally shied away from the spotlight, Eugenie and Beatrice have become noticeably more vocal in recent months, most recently appearing on the podcast Lessons From Our Mothers, hosted by their longtime friend (and former flame of Prince Harry) Cressida Bonas and her half-sister Isabella Branson.
In the episode, released May 4, they spoke movingly about their childhood and the strength of their mother, affectionately known as Fergie.
"The more I get to know her in her life, the more incredible this woman is becoming," Beatrice said.
She added that her mother's resilience has been especially poignant "because of what she's been through in the past year".
Now 65, the Duchess of York has faced two cancer diagnoses, breast cancer and malignant melanoma, all while navigating the fallout from her ex-husband's scandals and his ongoing estrangement from royal life.
Beatrice praised their mother's spirit, saying she "always found the adventure" even in difficult times.
"There was always an adventure to be had, and now it's so fun reflecting and looking back to say some of the harder times, through divorce, and through challenging moments, there was always an adventure," she said.