Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie.Photo: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Sarah Fergusondoesn’t mince words when it comes to advice about life in the public eye for her daughters,Princess BeatriceandPrincess Eugenie.
Fergie, as the Duchess of York is affectionately known,talked about etiquette tricks and tipson the latest episode of her podcast,Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah. She told co-host Sarah Thompson that being polite was “entrenched” in her — and she wanted to make sure her children also practiced good manners, especially given their royal roles asQueen Elizabeth’s grandchildren.
“I always say to my girls: when you’re out on the public stage, smile,” Fergie, 63, said in the episode. “And if you don’t want to be polite, don’t go out on the public stage — because no one wants to see a grumpy princess. You’ve heard me say that many times.”
She continued, “So I think the most important thing is you’ve got to get your game on.”
Princess Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Beatrice.Chris Jackson/Getty
Although Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 33, aren’t working members of the royal family — instead, theyboth have jobsand earn their own income — they frequently joined their grandmother Queen Elizabeth at royal events like Christmas, Easter and Trooping the Colour.
Since Queen Elizabeth’s death in September, they’ve continued to support their uncleKing Charles, including at his coronation weekend in May. In addition to attending the crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the sisters attended aBig Lunch eventand were spotted at the Coronation Concert.
“Yesterday meant so much to me, as I’m sure it did to so many watching,” Princess Eugeniewrote on her Instagram pagefollowing the coronation festivities. “What a magical celebration for The King, The Queen, our country, and the Commonwealth.”
Fergie and Prince Andrew divorced in 1996, but she remained in the royal fold, attending family events including the Coronation Concert in May and Royal Ascot in past years.
In addition to passing etiquette lessons to her daughters, the Duchess of York was one of the people who helpedMeghan Markledo herfirst curtsyupon meeting Queen Elizabeth.
“And I remember we were in the car and we were driving up and he’s like ‘You know how to curtsy right?’ And I just thought it was a joke,” the Duchess of Sussex recalled in the Netflix seriesHarry and Meghan.
“How do you explain that to people? How do you explain that you bow to your grandmother and that you would need to curtsy? Especially to an American. That’s weird,” Prince Harry added.
Adding that the meeting was “so intense,” the Duchess of Sussex said Princess Eugenie, Eugenie’s husbandJack Brooksbankand Fergie insisted she “did great” after the Queen left.
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The Duchess of York recently underwent a successful mastectomy operation following herbreast cancer diagnosis. A sourcepreviously told PEOPLEthat Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, whowelcomed her second childin late May, “have been there a lot” and “have been very supportive” during her recovery.
Ahead of the surgery, Fergie talked about her daughters on the podcast, praising Beatrice and Eugenie forovercoming their own challengesin life. Princess Beatrice has spoken aboutstruggling with dyslexia, while Princess Eugenie has been vocal about herscoliosis diagnosisand having life-changing spinal surgery at age 12.
“My girls are incredible. It’s both private and public, right? They work very, very hard publicly. They work very, very hard privately. They are mothers and the work-life balance that they are getting is extraordinary,” Fergie said. “They just do it. They just do it in a very, very real way. And I’m so proud of them.”
source: people.com
