Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York are in a royal quandary. They are princesses of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland because they are grandchildren of the sovereign in the male line. But they have few opportunities to be a Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
In other words, the two young women are members of the Royal Family on paper. They get invited to major royal events such as their grandmother's birthday or their first cousin's wedding, but not much else.
Princess Beatrice, who graduated from Goldsmith College last September has talked about wanting to get a job. But were these her comments or the creation of a tabloid newspaper. It is understandable that the Princess would want to work. She did well at school, and now she has the degree. But what can the princess do without creating too much attention for herself and for her employer?
According to one news report (not verified), Princess Beatrice was recently offered a job as a junior fashion assistant at JoSoBlu Accesories. The latter was apparently sent by designer Joelle Seksum.
"We understand that like many recent graduates you have been unable to find a job since leaving university last year. ”I’m delighted to tell you that we have an opening for a junior fashion assistant at our accessory label JoSoblu and we would like to offer you the position. We have been impressed with your personal fashion style, particularly the beautiful Philip Treacy hat you wore at your cousin Prince William’s weddinglast year, and we believe you would be a real asset to our young team.”
The job is entry level, pays about $23,000 a year. The position would require "assisting the designer, sourcing materials and attending product launches." Other tasks would include filing, typing and making the tea.
The benefits would include 5 weeks of paid vacation. (The US is the only Western nation that does not have legislated vacation time.)
It is unlikely that Beatrice will accept this position. It is rather tacky for the company to make the offer public. The designer would also be capitalizing on Beatrice's royal title. A feather in their cap! But not in Beatrice's. A princess whose career is not being a princess will be subjected to press scrutiny, and it will be difficult for a princess to submerge herself in a job, where everyone else will be looking at her .. and perhaps a few dishing it to the tabloid media.
But this is not the sort of job that Beatrice needs. More recently, the Daily Mail, a tabloid newspaper not known for getting their facts right, reported that Beatrice "is keen to get involved with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations" and wants to accompany her father, the Duke of York, to India.
The Duke of York will be in India as a part of the official celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.
One "source" told the Mail: "Beatrice would like to play her part in marking her grandmother's milestone. She has a lot to offer the Royal Family, but there is a feeling the attention is being focuses on William, Harry and Kate as far as the young Royals are concerned."
Well, yes, the focus should be on William and Catherine and Harry. The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry are second and third in line to the throne. Their father is the Prince of Wales. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are the daughters of the Duke of York, fourth in line to the throne.
The 23-year-old Princess had a prominent role in a recent BBC documentary,
Diamond Queen, but neither she nor her younger sister, have been given official roles in the Jubilee celebrations.
It has been reported for some years now that the York princesses will not be added to the royal duties list, despite the fact that several active members of the royal family, the Duke of Kent and his younger sister, Princess Alexandra, are now in their seventies. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are in their late sixties. They will not be replaced by their children, who are not royal. The Kents and the Gloucesters have their assignmetns for the Jubilee duties.
Princess Anne is 60. The Duke of York is a decade younger. The Earl of Wessex celebrates his 50th birthday in 2014.
With so many older members of the Royal family, it seems unthinkable to me that royal duties will be largely confined to to King Charles III and his family. There are a lot of charities and associations that will continue to need royal patronage, and a smaller number will not be able to carry the heavy burden.
What is the point of being a princess, if there are no responsibilities to go with the title. On the rare occasion, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are asked to represent the Queen, but the majority of their duties come from their own charities and organizations. They also appear at State functions, including State dinners.
It is unlikely that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will ever be asked to take part in a State dinner.
Although it has never been confirmed, there were reports, in the late 1990s, that Princess Beatrice and Eugenie would lose their titles (perhaps when they got married) and be styled as daughters of a duke, as Lady Beatrice and Lady Eugenie Mountbatten. (A change of titles would make job looking a bit easier, and it would more difficult for a firm to capitalize on the royal titles.) It now seems unlikely that the princesses will be demoted to Lady status.
In another sense, the two princesses are seen as 'damaged goods' through no fault of their own. They are scarred because of their mother's behavior. Sarah, Duchess of York's financial problems, insecurity issues, and the basic inability to live as a former member of the royal family, has hurt the princesses' status within the family. This is not their fault. The two princess do need to love and support their mother, but they have to understand that their life with their mother is outside the spectrum of the royal family.
More important, Sarah, Duchess of York, has to understand that she is not a member of the royal family. She ceased to be a member when her divorce became absolute.
The Duke of York wants his daughters to take on royal duties. It might be a good idea for Beatrice to accompany her father to India. She could do a few things with him, and also add a few things, such as visiting a charity or other organizations that work with the disadvantaged in India.
Last week, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh went to the theater, and were accompanied by Peter and Autumn Phillips. The Duchess of Cambridge accompanied the Queen on a trip to Fortnam & Mason (with the Duchess of Cornwall), and to Leicester for the Jubilee kickoff. Have the York princesses ever accompanied their grandmother to the theater, a movie or even on a semi-official engagement. (Walking to church at Christmas does not count.)
The princesses continue to be marginalized within their own family. They will appear at the official events with other members of the Royal family. But will Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have an opportunity to show their royal mettle with any official Jubilee engagements? They do not have been sent overseas. There are plenty of places in the UK where they can be sent to represent the Queen. It is very difficult to sit on the sidelines when your grandmother's first cousins are carrying out official engagements, and you are not, even though you are a princess.
It is suffice to say that if the Duke and Duchess of York were still married, there would no question that the two princesses would be included in carrying out engagements.
It was announced earlier today that Princess Beatrice will take part in the National Lottery Olympic Park Run. The Princess will officially start the race on March 31, and will present the awards to the winners.
"The Olympic Park Run is a fantastic way of celebrating the role of the many National Lottery players who have contributed to London 2012 and its lasting legacy.
"I am going to be joined by a group of friends, some of whom took part alongside me in the London marathon."
Both Lord Coe, chairman of London 2012, and Dianne Thomson, chief executive of the National Lottery, said they were "delighted" that Princess Beatrice is taking party.
"It seems particularly fitting given that not only is this the year in which we are celebrating Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee but also, the run will take place in what will ultimately become the Queen Elizabeth Park.
"The event promises to be a truly exciting and memorable one for runners and spectators alike, even more so in light of Her Royal Highness's involvement," said Dianne Thompson.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York should not have to pay for their mother's sins. If they are HRH and Princesses, let them be princesses. At least today, Princess Beatrice got a running start toward a Jubilee duty!
(Kindle)
