PRINCESS EUGENIE SURROUNDED BY LOVE ON HER BIRTHDAY HOW THE YOUNG ROYAL HAS GROWN INTO A CONFIDENT WOMAN DETERMINED TO MAKE A CHANGE

Her 34th birthday at the weekend was a Her dearest, after a year of ups and downs that has seen her welcome her second child, as well as help her own mother through serious illness.

- TRACY SCHAVERIEN H

Chic in a wraparound coat from Reiss with a matching hat, Eugenie enjoys the fun of this year's Cheltenham Festival with husband Jack Brooksbank

Princess Eugenie's special day on Saturday gave the royal an opportunity to relax with her sons - August, three, and Ernest, who turns one in May - and be spoilt by her husband, as well as enjoy loving birthday wishes from her parents and her sister Princess Beatrice.

Although she is relishing her dual role as a mum and career woman, Eugenie has also been focusing on being a caring daughter following the latest cancer diagnosis for her mother Sarah, Duchess of York.

I've never encountered anyone with such a strong work ethic

The year ahead is likely to see her stepping out at royal events, too, and supporting the numerous charities she champions.

Eugenie's fourth decade has brought stability and contentment: she has not only settled down and started a family with long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank, whom she married in 2018, but has also found the confidence to speak up for the things she believes in.

Earlier this year, she spoke eloquently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland about the scourge of modern slavery, a cause she has championed since launching her own charity, The Anti-Slavery Collective, six years ago.

RENEWED MOTIVATION

Meanwhile, her two young sons have both brought her enormous joy and inspired her to try to make the world a better place, as she told HELLO! last year.

"Since August came into my life, it's positively affected my desire to do more," she said.