Princess Eugenie Reveals The Reason She Was Inspired To Set Up Her Own Charity

Jul 30, 2021 by apost team

Princess Eugenie has had a big year in 2021, as she welcomed her first child, a baby boy named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, with her husband Jack Brooksbank. Born on Feb. 9, August is Queen Elizabeth's ninth great-grandchild and the first grandchild of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. The baby boy is currently 11th in line to the throne, though he does not have a royal title. 

Since giving birth, Eugenie has shared photos on her Instagram of her young family, including a sweet Father's Day message to Brooksbank. The couple is raising their son in Windsor, England, where they've been living in Frogmore Cottage, which is actually owned by Eugenie's cousin Prince Harry. Frogmore Cottage was known for being the UK residence of Harry and Meghan Markle when they were still working royals, but ever since their move to the United States, Harry has offered the place to his cousin and her new family.

Although she's a new mom, Eugenie appears to be back at work, as she did an interview this week for The Anti-Slavery Collective, a charity she launched with her best friend Julia de Boinville. On their website, it states that they're "an independent collective whose mission is to bring change-makers together to raise awareness for modern slavery as a global epidemic."

The interview took place over Zoom and featured Eugenie and de Boinville interviewing authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, who wrote the 2009 book "Half the Sky." During the nearly 30-minute interview, the co-founders spoke with the authors and revealed that the book, which was given to them by Eugenie's mother, Sarah Ferguson over a decade ago, was actually one of the early inspirations for The Anti-Slavery Collective.

Founded in 2017, The Anti-Slavery Collective sees Princess Eugenie and her best friend and co-founder Julia de Boinville trying to raise awareness of the global problem that is modern slavery. Their website states alarming facts, such as that there are currently 40.3 million people currently in modern slavery around the world. 

It was announced on the charity's social media on Monday that the two co-founders would be sharing research, hosting interviews, and answering questions about modern slavery this week, leading up to World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30.

The interview with husband-and-wife-team Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, authors of "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide," touched on their own inspirations for writing the book. Detailing stories of oppressed women around the world, "Half the Sky" was published in 2009 and argues that the worldwide oppression of women is the biggest moral challenge our world currently faces. The pair are both Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, having won for their reporting of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Eugenie began the interview by explaining her own connection to the book, which clearly means a lot to her:

"Everyone welcome today, this is such an exciting day because we are talking to Nick and Sheryl, who are a powerhouse couple that Jules and I have been inspired by from the beginning of our talks in modern slavery and wanting to fight this cause. And you two wrote this book, 'Half The Sky,' which honestly — Jules, you seem to think my mum gave it to us…"

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De Boinville then elaborated on Eugenie's comment, stating that she believes it was in fact Sarah Ferguson who gifted them each a copy. She explained:

"I think your mum gave us both a copy when we were about 21 years old and it was after we'd been to India to visit a safe house, and the first time we'd learned about human trafficking, and this book really spurred us on and inspired us to set up The Anti-Slavery Collective, so this is a big fan girl moment for Eugenie and I."

Nearly a decade later, the two co-founders took that inspiration and started The Anti-Slavery Collective in 2017. Considering their Zoom call with the book's authors, it must have been an incredible full-circle moment for the pair, and that much is evident from their video interview.

On top of her work with the charity, Eugenie also holds a full-time position as a director at the art gallery Hauser & Wirth. Having studied art history and English literature at Newcastle University, the princess took this interest in the arts to her first job working for an online auction firm, before she took on the role she's in today. Meanwhile, her husband, Jack Brooksbank, is an ambassador for Casamigos, a tequila company.

But alongside their respective careers, the royal couple appears to be thoroughly enjoying their new full-time roles as parents to August. Eugenie has embraced the mom life and has shared some special moments on her personal Instagram, in particular, posting photos of Brooksbank and their young son.

What do you think about the inspiration behind Princess Eugenie's charity? If you learned something from this article, then be sure to pass it on so others can read about it too!