Princess Eugenie of York

Princess Eugenie of York ( /ˈjuːʒəni/^[2] Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990) is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. As such she is sixth, and the second female, in the line of succession to the thrones of 16 Commonwealth realm states.

Her first royal engagement was opening Teenage Cancer Trust's unit for young cancer patients in Leeds on 23 October 2008.^[3] She also makes appearances with the Royal Family at events, such as when she and her sister, Princess Beatrice, represented their father at a service of thanksgiving for her late aunt Diana, Princess of Wales, in 2007.

Early life

Princess Eugenie was born at the Portland Hospital on 23 March 1990, the second child of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, and sixth grandchild of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Baptised at the church of St. Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, by the Bishop of Norwich, on 23 December 1990, she was the first royal baby to have a public christening, and her godparents were James Ogilvy (her father's third cousin), Captain Alastair Ross (who was unable to attend), Mrs Ronald Ferguson (her maternal grandfather's 2nd wife), Mrs Patrick Dodd-Noble, and Miss Louise Blacker.^[4] She was named after Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, the daughter of Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, and Princess Helena, Victoria's third daughter.^[5] She and her sister are the only granddaughters of the Queen to hold the title of princess and the style Her Royal Highness: although their cousin, Lady Louise Windsor, is legally a princess, in accordance with Letters Patent issued by King George V, she is not styled as such at the request of the Queen and her parents; their other female first cousin, Zara Phillips, is the Queen's granddaughter through the female-line, therefore allowing her only the title and style of her father, who has none.

Eugenie is also the first Princess since her grandmother's aunt, Princess Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary (known as Princess Mary), to bear the name Victoria; Queen Victoria had requested that her female descendants bear the name Victoria somewhere in their name, however, neither Queen Elizabeth II, the late Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra, Princess Anne, nor Princess Beatrice hold the name Victoria.

Princess Eugenie's parents divorced when she was 6 years old. However, when she was not at school, her time was spent with her family, as the divorce had been amicable and the Duke and Duchess of York had agreed to joint custody of the girls. Eugenie and her sister regularly travel abroad with one or both of their parents. In the April 2008 issue of Tatler, Eugenie described her grandmother as "one of the most amazing women ever," and her parents, as "the best divorced couple" she knew.

In October 2002, Eugenie, then aged twelve, underwent back surgery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London, to correct scoliosis. She still has the two titanium rods in her back that were put in place in 2002.^[6] She made a full recovery and is not expected to undergo any further surgery for that condition.

Education

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 School, near Windsor Castle until 2003. For the next five years, Eugenie boarded at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, gaining A-Level grades of A in art and English literature and B in history of art.^[7] She undertook a gap year before continuing her education in the autumn of 2009. Eugenie began studying Combined Honours BA at Newcastle University^[8] in September 2009, combining Art History, English Literature and Politics.

Official duties

Princess Eugenie undertakes limited public duties as her university studies take precedence. Her engagements are often done in conjunction with charities her mother supports, including the Teenage Cancer Trust. As a member of the British Royal Family, Princess Eugenie is frequently seen at important Royal events.

On 2 June 2011 Princess Eugenie, with her father, visited the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. This was one of her first official engagements.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 23 March 1990 – : Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York

The Princess' style and title in full: Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York. As a British princess, Eugenie holds no surname; however, as with the other male-line grandchildren of Elizabeth II, she uses the name of the area over which her father holds title, i.e. York (as Prince Harry use Wales, per his father, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales). Past precedent is that such surnames are dropped from usage in adulthood, after which either title alone, or Mountbatten-Windsor is used.^[9] Upon her marriage, if applicable, she will have the option of taking her husband's surname/title, although she will independently retain her Royal status (and be styled HRH) throughout her life.

Arms

Ancestry

References

External links

• Illustrated biography of Princess Eugenie
• Fan Site