Princess Eugenie “never stops worrying” now she’s a parent.
The 31-year-old royal and her husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed son August into the world in February and her mother Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has told both Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice – who gave birth to her and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s daughter Sienna in September – to follow their instincts with their kids, even though that can be “exhausting”.
After meeting with teenage cancer patients and their families and hearing how 13-year-old Abigail Jacobs’ mother Lara knew something “was not quite right” with her daughter before her diagnosis, Sarah said: “What’s interesting is that these two new mothers here… they say, ‘Mum, you know, it’s just a feeling.’ Mothers know. Follow your instinct, I always say that to you, don’t I? And then it’s exhausting!”
Eugenie agreed: “Yeah, then you can never stop worrying.”
When she was 12, Eugenie underwent surgery for scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, and she recalled how “daunting” it was to be in hospital as she paid tribute to the bravery of the “incredible” young people she met with her mother and sister.
Eugenie told Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “I was in hospital as a child and having my family with me at every second made it all liveable. So meeting these incredible young people and the people that brought them through their cancer is so inspiring.
“They are so strong for having gone through their treatments and procedures over the last few years, especially with lockdowns, and their families are too.
“I understand how scary it can feel to be separated from your family and friends. But it was a very different experience – I knew that my scoliosis treatment, although daunting, was not life-threatening, whereas with cancer there are so many more unknowns.”
And Eugenie paid tribute to the work of the Teenage Cancer Trust, of which she, Sarah and Beatrice are patrons.
She said: “It’s reassuring to know how well-trained the specialist nurses are in giving each young person sensitive and individual care, so they feel loved and supported throughout. During the pandemic, the work of Teenage Cancer Trust has never been more valuable.”