As Princess Eugenie prepares to celebrate her 18th birthday, traditionally marking the transition from childhood into adult life, she is revealed in an interview with a leading society publication as stunningly photogenic - and very much a young woman in her own right.
As the cover of British Tatler shows, the Duchess of York's younger daughter has blossomed into a beauty, while the accompanying report reveals a refreshingly down-to-earth and thoroughly modern teen.
And the sixth in line to the throne is disarmingly unaffected about her royal lineage. "How do I play the princess thing. I don't really," she muses. "I don't like talking about it much and find it annoying when people say things like 'Oh, you're a princess'."
She's more interested, it seems, in fashion, music - she cites Death Cab For Cutie and The Stereophonics as favourite bands - and planning her gap year. This may include a stint in Spain learning Spanish, although she confesses to being "more of a worker than a clever person" when it comes to academic subjects.
While both she and her elder sister Beatrice are considered charming and exceptionally polite, Eugenie reveals that in some respects they are like "chalk and cheese".
"I am shyer at first," she admits. "Like at a party I'll say to Beatrice as we go in, 'Oh, you go first'. But then when we're actually in I'm much louder and she's far more polite and solicitous." And there's another difference between them she admits. "I sort of inherited my dad's short fuse. I'm definitely not as polite as Beatrice!" she laughs.
Her approach to style is also quite different. It seems Beatrice takes after their fashion conscious mum - whereas Eugenie prefers a more relaxed approach. "She loves her glamorous dresses and her hair being curly or big - like Mummy's - and I hate volume!" she says. "I like my hair to be sort of flat. I like just throwing on a pair of jeans and generally being more understated."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
