Princess Eugenie Shared The Backhanded Compliment She Gets From Strangers

Being 11th in line for the throne has its drawbacks. For Princess Eugenie, there are apparently at least a few, from stressing over everything she posts on social media to having that “really awkward phase” immortalized. A particularly strange one she deals with, though, is strangers feeling comfortable enough to give her backhanded compliments.

The second daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York appeared on the Oct. 19 episode of the White Wine Question Time podcast, hosted by English TV presenter Kate Thornton. Much of the conversation was devoted to Eugenie’s work fighting against modern slavery, notably through her podcast Floodlight. However, their conversation also touched on many aspects of her royal life, family, parenting, and social media, among other topics.

Thanks… I Guess

Thornton asked the princess about her Instagram account, and Eugenie explained that she wanted to present a more accurate picture of who she is. “I want people to know me because I think there’s been so much misinformation and it’s so easy to judge something when you read it in the paper or if you see a picture,” she said.

Noting that paparazzi photos of her and other members of her famous family are often “not the nicest,” she said she gets a not-so-flattering comment from some strangers: “I have people come up to me sometimes and say, ‘Oh, you’re much better looking in real life,’” she said. “And you’re like, ‘Uh, is that a compliment? I don’t know.’”

Her Instagram account has helped her showcase her personality more. “I wanted people to see the real me, and to, like, know that I have a sense of humor,” she said. At the same time, it’s important to her “to be respectful” to her family, her job, and charity work, so she says finding “a really good balance” is key.

Spotlighting Floodlight

Speaking about her late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, Eugenie shared her admiration for the longtime monarch. “She was just one of the best people in the world,” she said. “Her sense of duty and her dedication and her love of her people… it happened in public, like you all saw, and it happened in private with us.”

As part of her own commitment to service, Eugenie launched Floodlight in 2022 with her Anti-Slavery Collective co-founder Julia de Boinville. Promoting Season 2 on her Instagram account on Oct. 18, Eugenie highlighted the severity of the situation and previewed a season of conversations with “people from all walks of life who are helping to rid the world of modern slavery.” She promised “amazing, heartfelt stories from celebrity activists, policy makers and business leaders - as well as those who have been directly affected.”