Princess Beatrice’s words about wanting "more to life than ribbon cutting" are going viral

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice in the car on their way to the late Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday dinner
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Life as a royal may have its advantages - a designer wardrobe, a palace for a home and chefs on hand to make your favourite food, but it also has a fair few drawbacks. Namely, the lack of privacy, the dreaded rumour mill and the inability to live a normal life.

This is something that the Prince and Princess of Wales, among other senior working royals, know all too well. But for royal family members further down the line to the throne, there is a lot more freedom.

Non-working royal family members, including Zara and Peter Philips and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, have much more liberty and control over their own lives. They are able to choose their own career paths, live anywhere they choose, go on holidays wherever they like and name their children whatever they wish.

In short, it is life as a royal with as much normalcy as possible.

According to royal reporter Richard Palmer via The Express, this is something that Princess Beatrice feels quite strongly about, having always wanted to pursue things other than being a sole member of the royal family.

The royal reporter spoke out about this last year, recalling a conversation he had with Princess Beatrice where she made the admission.

"I remember Beatrice saying to me, and to a couple of other royal correspondents, 'I want to do something else with my life, other than ribbon cutting'", he explained. "I think they made their decision years ago."

He continued: "The way it was presented at the time, which was roughly, sort of, when they were preparing to leave university, was that they didn't want to [be senior members]."

That being said, he emphasised that both princesses were already "involved with various charitable [organizations]" and that they "want to use what public support they have to do good for others".

Well, this is lovely.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.