In an interview, the royal discussed the monarchy's strict table manners and her ‘issues around food’. Photo / AP
In an interview, the royal discussed the monarchy's strict table manners and her ‘issues around food’. Photo / AP
Members of the royal family are brought up “not to overshare”, Princess Eugenie has said in a podcast interview.
The King’s niece, 33, discussed royal etiquette on divulging personal information and the strict manners at the dinner table on an episode of the Table Manners podcast that is due to be released on Wednesday.
Speaking to hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware, she said: “The world doesn’t need to know everything about us … the way we’ve been brought up is to not – we don’t overshare”.
Princess Eugenie, the youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, went on the podcast to highlight her own, Floodlight, which she launched last year to spotlight the issue of modern slavery.
During the 58-minute episode, she discussed having “a couple of issues around food” because of constant scrutiny about her appearance, as well as her difficulty shedding postnatal weight.
“I don’t know about you but on the post-baby body thing, it sends me mad but I find it really hard to shake baby weight,” she said, adding: “I guess society dictates that you have to shake your baby weight and all that stuff.”
Princess Eugenie and Prince Harry stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 16, 2012 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images
Asked whether she was fed up with criticism about what she wore or if she looked tired, the Princess said: “I think that definitely has caused a couple of issues around my relationship with having to look a certain way”.
“I guess everybody has that if you’re in the public eye. I guess within our family, it happens at that perfect age where you’re, you know, 13 years old and you’ve got that dorky bowl haircut and you’re a bit chubby and, you know, all the boys are bullying you and all that kind of stuff.”
Princess Eugenie now lives in Portugal with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their sons, August, 2, and Ernest, who was born in May this year.
She continued: “This is why Portugal is the dream because I can go to the supermarket in my exercise gear and my hair piled on my head and not mind. Not care. No one cares.”
Among the other topics discussed on the podcast was the etiquette that was expected when eating with Elizabeth II.
She said that the family used “table manners A” when all together, including having no knees at the table while having tea at Windsor with her late grandmother and a strict savoury-before-cakes rule.
She added: “I guess it’s just you’re not getting down from the table until you can get down from the table.
“Like, tea was at five. And it was only ever 45 minutes so you can never get stir crazy.
“And then we’d go running everywhere afterwards around the house like crazy people.”
She said that family tea time was “the same” now, saying “it’s a really sweet way to all come together at another point in the day.”
Among the other topics discussed on the podcast was the etiquette that was expected when eating with Elizabeth II. Photo / Getty Images
King and Prince ‘amazing examples’
The Princess was also asked about the King’s approach to his role as monarch, to which she replied: “It’s less about modernising and [more about] becoming one with what the monarch believes in.”
Referring to the King and the Prince of Wales, the heir to the throne, she added: “I think my uncle and my cousin are amazing examples of that for the future, their belief systems are what the world believes in and that couldn’t be better.”
She also answered questions about her podcast, which is on its second season and also features Julia de Boinville, the co-founder of the Anti-Slavery Collective.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the Order of the Garter service at St George's Chapel. Photo / Getty Images
Asked about her decision to pursue the venture, Princess Eugenie said that she first learned about the broader scope of slavery on a visit to India aged 21.
She said: “It’s simple things like you know, being aware that someone could be enslaved at your local nail bar or in a carwash, or in construction and things like that.
“It’s not something in far-flung places that you might not go to. It can happen within a mile of where you live in the UK and around you.
“So it’s just about, where are your clothes from? Have you asked someone if they’re okay? If they don’t look happy or that kind of thing. And it’s about empathy and kindness as well.”
The Table Manners podcast is a weekly series that describes itself as being “about food, family, and the beautiful art of having a chat”.
