During their first ever joint podcast appearance, the sisters spoke candidly about their childhood and their relationship with their mother. ‘She’s always kept us so grounded,’ said Princess Eugenie. ‘When you feel bad about yourself and the world, you give back to others. And Beatrice and I, from little, have always gone with mum on all her charity work, and that is so integral to her as a human.’ She went on to share the story of her 18th birthday, which she spent with her mother and sister at the Teenage Cancer Trust, of which her mother is a patron. ‘We spent half a day looking around and talking to the patients. That was something she’s instilled in us from a very early age, to give back.’
Princess Beatrice concurred that the York matriarch had an indomitable spirit, adding that her passion for helping others has been magnified following her diagnosis with breast cancer in June 2023, with a form of skin cancer appearing soon after. Sarah Ferguson is ‘taking her example and her lessons and making sure other people get the checks that they really need, and taking the time to tell her story, making sure she’s telling it in her voice, in the right way, so that other people can really learn from it,’ explained Beatrice. ‘She loves nothing more than meeting people and those that are also suffering with cancer, because there’s so much empathy there.’
The Princesses have not only learnt how to take care of others from their mother, but how to resolve conflicts at home – and how to add a touch of joy to everyday life. ‘She would sort of channel us to be really open,’ Beatrice shared. ‘There were never any secrets. That’s really important as well… It forced Eug and I into a communication point, especially over silly childhood fights.’ She added that her mother was a fan of ‘forced collaboration’ and the ‘sense that it’s okay to feel, it’s okay to push on those emotions, but you have to figure out what the resolution looks like as well’.